Diet of the Cortez damselfish Stegastes rectifraenum (Teleostei: Pomacentridae) from the rocky reef at Los Frailes, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Sánchez, Xchel Gabriel Moreno; Cárdenas, Leonardo Andrés Abitía; Escobar-Sánchez, Ofelia; Palacios-Salgado, Deivis S.

doi:10.1017/s1755267211000996

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…For instance, very few zooplanktonic organisms have been found in the stomach contents of Chrysiptera annulata while stable isotope analysis revealed it was a major source of food [55]. Unidentified organic matter had been found in the stomach content of S. rectifraenum and we cannot exclude it contented digested zooplanktonic preys [30]. Another hypothesis involves a spatial and/or temporal variation in the feeding habit of S. rectifraenum.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Two previous studies using stomach content analyzes showed that S. rectifraenum was only feeding on filamentous algae and zoobenthos [27,30]. Stomach contents and stable isotopes analyses are complementary approaches with their limitations and strengths.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stegastes rectifraenum has been defined as a farming species [27], and while the situation is unknown for S. flavilatus, both species actively defend their territory during and out of their reproductive period [28]. Stegastes rectifraenum selectively feeds on filamentous algae [20,27,29], and a mix of benthic organisms have been found in their stomach contents [30]. This omnivorous diet seems to be associated with specific morphological characters such as a thick skull osteology and a single range of incisor premaxillar teeth for herbivory but a relatively short intestine and intestinal convulations more related to zooplanktivory [31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ecomorphology, trophic niche, and distribution divergences of two common damselfishes in the Gulf of California

Olivier

Lepoint

Aguilar-Medrano

et al. 2019

Comptes Rendus. Biologies

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Damselfishes of the genus Stegastes are among the most conspicuous benthic reefassociated fish in the Gulf of California, and the two most commonly found species are the Beaubrummel Gregory Stegastes flavilatus and the Cortez damselfish Stegastes rectifraenum. Both species are described as ecologically and morphologically very similar. However, the niche theory predicts that coexisting species will tend to minimize competition through niche partitioning. We, therefore, investigated the degree of their ecological similarity through their morphology, trophic ecology, and spatial distribution, as well as, the effects of environmental variables on their abundance. We showed that S. rectifraenum is highly abundant in the entire Gulf of California while S. flavilatus is only found in the central and southern part. The abundance of S. rectifraenum was higher in shallow water and decreased when the cover of macroalgae and sand increased. No environmental variable was related to the abundance of S. flavilatus. Both species had distinct isotopic niches: S. flavilatus fed almost exclusively on plankton and zoobenthos, while S. rectifraenum had an omnivorous diet mixing turf, zoobenthos and plankton. The diet divergence was reflected in the morphology of the two species. Stegastes flavilatus had a more rounded body shape, with a higher supraoccipital crest and more gill rakers than S. rectifraenum, which may increase its ability to feed on vagile invertebrates and zooplankton. Our results support the hypothesis that a niche partition has occurred between the two species. Furthermore, the importance of planktonic food sources to both species, considered as benthic territorial feeders, challenges the traditional ecological description of the Stegastes species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ecomorphology, trophic niche, and distribution divergences of two common damselfishes in the Gulf of California

Olivier

Lepoint

Aguilar-Medrano

et al. 2019

Comptes Rendus. Biologies

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“…Studies on the diet of K. vaigiensis confirm that this species is a functional herbivore that feeds primarily on macroalgae, including phaeophytes, chlorophytes, and rhodophytes, and almost no animal material [ 17 , 18 ] as other herbivorous species of Kyphosus , such as K. bigibbus , K. cinerascens , K. sydneyanus , K. azureus , and K. elegans (the latter two also from the Gulf of California) [ 17 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. S. rectifraenum (family Pomacentridae) was first described as an herbivore [ 22 ], but later studies have reported an omnivorous diet consisting of turf, zoobenthos, and plankton [ 23 , 24 ]. B. polylepis (Balistidae) has been classified as predominantly carnivorous, although some algae are consumed occasionally as incidental food [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cadmium, Lead, Copper, Zinc, and Iron Concentration Patterns in Three Marine Fish Species from Two Different Mining Sites inside the Gulf of California, Mexico

Servière‐Zaragoza

Lluch-Cota

Mazariegos-Villarreal

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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In the Gulf of California; mineral deposits have contributed to high metal contents in coastal environments. This study examined cadmium; lead; copper; zinc; and iron contents in three fish species; Kyphosus vaigiensis (herbivore), Stegastes rectifraenum (omnivore), and Balistes polylepis (carnivore) at two mining sites. Metal concentrations were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes were estimated using mass spectrophotometry. Also, we assessed the risk to human health from the consumption of these three species based on permissible limits; although only two of them (Kyphosus and Balistes) are consumed as food. Metal concentrations differed among fish species; except for iron. The highest concentrations of metals were not always recorded in the species at the highest trophic level; i.e., Balistes. The highest concentrations (dry weight) recorded were cadmium (0.21 ± 0.03 µg g−1) and lead (1.67 ± 0.26 µg g−1), in S. rectifraenum; copper (1.60 ± 0.49 µg g−1) and zinc (67.30 ± 8.79 µg g−1), in B. polylepis; and iron (27.06 ± 2.58 µg g−1), in K. vaigiensis. Our findings show that each element accumulates differently in particular marine organisms; depending on the physiology of the species and the biogeochemistry of its habitat; which in turn is affected by the anthropogenic activities in adjacent areas. No risk of heavy metals toxicity is expected from the human consumption of the species and sites studied

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Ecomorphology and evolution of the pharyngeal apparatus of benthic damselfishes (Pomacentridae, subfamily Stegastinae)

Aguilar-Medrano

2016

Mar Biol

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Diet of the Cortez damselfish Stegastes rectifraenum (Teleostei: Pomacentridae) from the rocky reef at Los Frailes, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Cited by 6 publications

References 14 publications

Ecomorphology, trophic niche, and distribution divergences of two common damselfishes in the Gulf of California

Ecomorphology, trophic niche, and distribution divergences of two common damselfishes in the Gulf of California

Cadmium, Lead, Copper, Zinc, and Iron Concentration Patterns in Three Marine Fish Species from Two Different Mining Sites inside the Gulf of California, Mexico

Ecomorphology and evolution of the pharyngeal apparatus of benthic damselfishes (Pomacentridae, subfamily Stegastinae)

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