Feeding habits of Urotrygon microphthalmum (Myliobatiformes: Urotrygonidae) caught off northeastern Brazil

Abstract

The feeding habits of Urotrygon microphthalmum, a Critically Endangered (CR) species, were investigated through stomach contents analysis from specimens caught on bottom double rigged otter trawls in Pernambuco state, Brazil, between March of 2010 and March of 2012. A total of 338 stomachs were analyzed, and 31 food items were identified in the diet of U. microphthalmum. The species ingests mainly shrimps. The diets between males and females were not different, and an ontogenetic diet shift was not observed. The estimated species’ trophic level is 3.5, classifying it as a secondary order consumer.

Trophic ecology of three stingrays (Myliobatoidei: Dasyatidae) off the Brazilian north‐eastern coast: Habitat use and resource partitioning

“…The estimated trophic levels for H. guttatus (SIA = 3.33 ± 1.09, SCA = 3.55; Table 3) and H. marianae (SIA = 3.19 ± 0.71, SCA = 3.61; Table 3) characterize these species as mesopredators, within the expected range (3.16–4.08) for Dasyatidae stingrays (Jacobsen & Bennett, 2012; Tilley et al ., 2013). Similar results have been reported for other Myliobatiformes such as Urotrygon rogersi (Jordan & Starks, 1895) in Colombia (3.5; Navia et al ., 2016), Urotrygon microphthalmum Delsman 1941 in Pernambuco (3.5; Santander‐Neto et al ., 2021), Hypanus americanus (Hildebrand & Schroeder, 1928) in the Caribbean (3.52; Tilley et al ., 2013), Neotrygon kuhlii (Müller & Henle, 1841), Neotrygon annotata (Last, 1987) and Neotrygon picta Last & White 2008 in Australia (3.58, 3.57 and 3.55, respectively; Jacobsen & Bennett, 2012). This is driven primarily by their consumption of benthic and epibenthic macroinvertebrates such as crustaceans, molluscs and polychaetes, but including some teleost fishes.…”