Diet of the critically endangered blackchin guitarfish Glaucostegus cemiculus revealed using DNA metabarcoding

Abstract

We present the first assessment of the diet of the blackchin guitarfish Glaucostegus cemiculus (Geoffroy Saint‐Hilaire, 1817) for West Africa, using DNA metabarcoding on stomach contents of individuals captured in the Bijagós archipelago, Guinea‐Bissau. The diet was dominated by crustaceans, particularly caramote prawn Penaeus kerathurus (frequency of occurrence FO=74%; numerical frequency NF=54%) and fiddler crab Afruca tangeri (FO=74%; NF=12%). Bony fishes occurred in 30% of the stomachs. We highlight the importance of conservation action for intertidal habitats and their associated benthic invertebrates for the survival of the critically endangered blackchin guitarfish.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.