Feeding strategy of the night shark (Carcharhinus signatus) and scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) near seamounts off northeastern Brazil

Vaske Júnior, Teodoro; Vooren, Carolus Maria; Lessa, Rosangela Paula

Abstracts

A total of 425 stomachs of night shark (Carcharhinus signatus), and 98 stomachs of scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini), from longline and surface gillneters near seamounts off northeastern Brazil, were analysed between 1992 and 1999. Both predators prey upon reef and benthopelagic fishes, migrant cephalopods and deep water crustaceans, showing similar feeding niches (Schoener Index T=0.75). The great prey richness of the diets may reflect the fact that the marine food web for these species is very extensive in this region. Due to the concentration for feeding of both predators in the seamounts, intense fisheries should be monitored to avoid localised depletions.

Feeding aggregations; Seamounts; Carcharhinus signatus; Sphyrna lewini

Um total de 425 estômagos de tubarão-toninha (Carcharhinus signatus) e 98 estômagos de tubarão-martelo-entalhado (Sphyrna lewini), oriundos da pesca de espinhel e pesca com rede de emalhe nas adjacências dos bancos oceânicos do nordeste do Brasil, foi analisado entre 1992 e 1999. Ambas as espécies predam sobre peixes bento-pelágicos e recifais, cefalópodes migradores, e crustáceos de águas profundas, apresentando nichos alimentares similares (Índice de Schoener T=0.75). A alta riqueza de presas nas dietas deve ser um reflexo de que as teias alimentares para estas espécies são consideravelmente longas nessa região. Devido à concentração alimentar de ambos predadores nos bancos oceânicos, a pescaria intensa deve ser monitorada para evitar depleções locais.

Agregações alimentares; Montes submarinos; Carcharhinus signatus; Sphyrna lewini

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BUSH, A; HOLLAND, K. Food limitation in a nursery area: estimates of daily ration in juvenile scalloped hammerheads, Sphyrna lewini (Griffith & Smith, 1834) in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol., v. 278, p. 157 - 178, 2002.
BRUYN, P.; DUDLEY, S. F. J.; CLIFF, G.; SMALE, M. J. Sharks caught in the protective gill nets off Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. 11. The scalloped hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini (Griffith and Smith). Afr. J. mar. Sci., v. 27, n.3, p. 517 - 528, 2005.
CLARKE, T. A. The ecology of the scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, in Hawaii. Pacific Sci, v. 25, p. 133 - 145, 1971.
COMPAGNO, L. J. V. FAO Species catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2. Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop., v. 125, n. 4, p. 251 - 655, 1984.
CORTÉS, E. A. critical review of methods of studying fish feeding based on analysis of stomach contents: application to elasmobranch fishes. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci., v. 54, p. 726 - 738, 1997.
CORTÉS, E. Standardized diet compositions and trophic levels of sharks. ICES J. mar. Sci, v. 56, p. 707 - 717, 1999.
FERREIRA, A. G.; FARIA, V. V.; CARVALHO, C. E. V.; LESSA, R. P. T.; SANTANA, F. M. Total mercury in the night shark, Carcharhinus signatus in the western equatorial Atlantic. Braz. Arch. Biol. Tech., v. 47, n. 4: 629 - 634, 2004.
GADIG, O. B. F.; MOREIRA JÚNIOR, W. Tubarões da Costa Brasileira. Leopoldianum, v. 18, n. 52, p. 111-119, 1992.
HAZIN, F. H. V.; COUTO, A. A.; KIHARA, K.; OTSUKA, K.; ISHINO, M. Distribution and abundance of pelagic sharks in the southwestern equatorial Atl. J. Tokio Univ. Fish, v. 77, n. 1, p. 51 - 64, 1990.
HAZIN, F. H. V.; LUCENA, F. M.; SOUZA, T. S. A. L.; BOECKMANN, C. E.; BROADHURST, M. K.; MENNI, R. C. Maturation of the night shark, Carcharhinus signatus, in the Southwestern Equatorial Atlantic ocean. Bull. mar. Sci., v. 66, n. 1, p. 173 - 185, 2000.
HAZIN, F. H. V.; FISCHER, A.; BROADHURST, M. Aspects of reproductive biology of the scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, off northeastern Brazil. Env. Biol. Fishes, v. 61, p. 151 - 159, 2001.
MENNI, R. C.; HAZIN, F. H. V.; LESSA, R. P. Occurrence of the night shark Carcharhinus signatus and the pelagic stingray Dasyatis violacea off northeastern Brazil. Neotrópica v. 41, n. 105-106, p. 105 - 110, 1995.
MORATO, T.; VARKEY, D. A.; DAMASO, C.; MACHETE, M.; SANTOS, M.; PRIETO, R.; SANTOS, R. S.; PITCHER, T. Evidence of a seamount effect on aggregating visitors. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser, v. 357, p. 23-32, 2008.
OLIVEIRA, G. M.; EVANGELISTA, J. E. V.; FERREIRA, B. P. Considerações sobre a biologia e a pesca no Arquipélago dos Penedos São Pedro e São Paulo. Bolm Técnico-Cient. CEPENE, v. 5, n. 1, p. 31 - 52, 1997.
PATOKINA, F. A.; LITVINOV, F. F. Food composition and distribution of elasmobranches on the shelf and upper slope of the Eastern Central Atlantic. ICES CM 2005/N: 26, 2005.
PINKAS, L.; OLIPHANT, M. S.; IVERSON, I. L. K. Food habits of albacore, bluefin tuna, and bonito in Californian waters. Fish Bull., Dept Fish and Game, California, , v. 152, 105 p, 1971.
ROPER, C. F. E.; YOUNG, R. E. Vertical distribution of pelagic cephalopods. Smithson. Contrib. Zool., v. 209, p. 1 - 51, 1975.
SANTANA, F. M.; LESSA, R. Age determination and growth of the night shark (Carcharhinus signatus) off the northeastern Brazilian coast. Fish. Bull., v. 102, p. 156 - 167, 2004.
SANTANA, F. M.; LESSA, R.; CARLSON, J. Carcharhinus signatus In: 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species IUCN, 2006. < www.iucnredlist.org>
SCHOENER, T. W. Nonsynchronous spatial overlap of lizards in patchy habitats. Ecology, v. 51, p. 408 - 418, 1970.
SCRIMGEOUR, G. L.; WINTERBOURN, M. J. Diet, food resource partitioning and feeding periodicity of two riffle-dwelling fish species in a New Zealand river. J. Fish Biol, v. 31, p. 309 - 324, 1987.
SMALE, M. J.; CLIFF, G. Cephalopods in the diets of four shark species (Galeocerdo cuvier, Sphyrna lewini, Sphyrna zygaena, and S. mokarran) from Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. S. Afr. J. mar. Sci., v. 20, p. 241 - 253, 1998.
SOTO, J. M. Annotated systematic checklist and bibliography of the coastal and oceanic fauna of Brazil. I – Sharks. Mare Magnum, v. 1, n. 1, p. 51 - 120, 2001.
TORRES-ROJAS, Y.; HERNANDEZ-HERRERA, A.; GALVAN-MAGAÑA, F. Feeding habits of the scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, in Mazatlán waters, southern Gulf of California, Mexico. Cybium, v. 30, n.4, p. 85 - 90, 2006.
VASKE JUNIOR, T.; LESSA, R. P.; NÓBREGA, M. F.; MONTEALEGRE-QUIJANO, S.; SANTANA, F. M.; BEZERRA JR. J. L. A checklist of fishes from Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, Brazil. J. appl. Ichth., v. 21, n.1, p. 75-79, 2005.
WORM, B.; LOTZE, H. K.; MYERS, R. A. Predator diversity hotspots in the blue ocean. PNAS, v. 100, n. 17, p. 9884-9888, 2003.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
06 July 2009
Date of issue
June 2009

History

Accepted
15 Aug 2008
Reviewed
01 July 2008
Received
10 June 2008

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

[1] BUSH, A. Diet and diel feeding periodicity of juvenile scalloped hammerhead sharks, Sphyrna lewini, in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii. Env. Biol. Fishes, v. 67, p. 1 - 11, 2003.

[2] BUSH, A; HOLLAND, K. Food limitation in a nursery area: estimates of daily ration in juvenile scalloped hammerheads, Sphyrna lewini (Griffith & Smith, 1834) in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol., v. 278, p. 157 - 178, 2002.

[3] BRUYN, P.; DUDLEY, S. F. J.; CLIFF, G.; SMALE, M. J. Sharks caught in the protective gill nets off Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. 11. The scalloped hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini (Griffith and Smith). Afr. J. mar. Sci., v. 27, n.3, p. 517 - 528, 2005.

[4] CLARKE, T. A. The ecology of the scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, in Hawaii. Pacific Sci, v. 25, p. 133 - 145, 1971.

[5] COMPAGNO, L. J. V. FAO Species catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2. Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop., v. 125, n. 4, p. 251 - 655, 1984.

[6] CORTÉS, E. A. critical review of methods of studying fish feeding based on analysis of stomach contents: application to elasmobranch fishes. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci., v. 54, p. 726 - 738, 1997.

[7] CORTÉS, E. Standardized diet compositions and trophic levels of sharks. ICES J. mar. Sci, v. 56, p. 707 - 717, 1999.

[8] FERREIRA, A. G.; FARIA, V. V.; CARVALHO, C. E. V.; LESSA, R. P. T.; SANTANA, F. M. Total mercury in the night shark, Carcharhinus signatus in the western equatorial Atlantic. Braz. Arch. Biol. Tech., v. 47, n. 4: 629 - 634, 2004.

[9] GADIG, O. B. F.; MOREIRA JÚNIOR, W. Tubarões da Costa Brasileira. Leopoldianum, v. 18, n. 52, p. 111-119, 1992.

[10] HAZIN, F. H. V.; COUTO, A. A.; KIHARA, K.; OTSUKA, K.; ISHINO, M. Distribution and abundance of pelagic sharks in the southwestern equatorial Atl. J. Tokio Univ. Fish, v. 77, n. 1, p. 51 - 64, 1990.

[11] HAZIN, F. H. V.; LUCENA, F. M.; SOUZA, T. S. A. L.; BOECKMANN, C. E.; BROADHURST, M. K.; MENNI, R. C. Maturation of the night shark, Carcharhinus signatus, in the Southwestern Equatorial Atlantic ocean. Bull. mar. Sci., v. 66, n. 1, p. 173 - 185, 2000.

[12] HAZIN, F. H. V.; FISCHER, A.; BROADHURST, M. Aspects of reproductive biology of the scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, off northeastern Brazil. Env. Biol. Fishes, v. 61, p. 151 - 159, 2001.

[13] MENNI, R. C.; HAZIN, F. H. V.; LESSA, R. P. Occurrence of the night shark Carcharhinus signatus and the pelagic stingray Dasyatis violacea off northeastern Brazil. Neotrópica v. 41, n. 105-106, p. 105 - 110, 1995.

[14] MORATO, T.; VARKEY, D. A.; DAMASO, C.; MACHETE, M.; SANTOS, M.; PRIETO, R.; SANTOS, R. S.; PITCHER, T. Evidence of a seamount effect on aggregating visitors. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser, v. 357, p. 23-32, 2008.

[15] OLIVEIRA, G. M.; EVANGELISTA, J. E. V.; FERREIRA, B. P. Considerações sobre a biologia e a pesca no Arquipélago dos Penedos São Pedro e São Paulo. Bolm Técnico-Cient. CEPENE, v. 5, n. 1, p. 31 - 52, 1997.

[16] PATOKINA, F. A.; LITVINOV, F. F. Food composition and distribution of elasmobranches on the shelf and upper slope of the Eastern Central Atlantic. ICES CM 2005/N: 26, 2005.

[17] PINKAS, L.; OLIPHANT, M. S.; IVERSON, I. L. K. Food habits of albacore, bluefin tuna, and bonito in Californian waters. Fish Bull., Dept Fish and Game, California, , v. 152, 105 p, 1971.

[18] ROPER, C. F. E.; YOUNG, R. E. Vertical distribution of pelagic cephalopods. Smithson. Contrib. Zool., v. 209, p. 1 - 51, 1975.

[19] SANTANA, F. M.; LESSA, R. Age determination and growth of the night shark (Carcharhinus signatus) off the northeastern Brazilian coast. Fish. Bull., v. 102, p. 156 - 167, 2004.

[20] SANTANA, F. M.; LESSA, R.; CARLSON, J. Carcharhinus signatus In: 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species IUCN, 2006. < www.iucnredlist.org>

[21] SCHOENER, T. W. Nonsynchronous spatial overlap of lizards in patchy habitats. Ecology, v. 51, p. 408 - 418, 1970.

[22] SCRIMGEOUR, G. L.; WINTERBOURN, M. J. Diet, food resource partitioning and feeding periodicity of two riffle-dwelling fish species in a New Zealand river. J. Fish Biol, v. 31, p. 309 - 324, 1987.

[23] SMALE, M. J.; CLIFF, G. Cephalopods in the diets of four shark species (Galeocerdo cuvier, Sphyrna lewini, Sphyrna zygaena, and S. mokarran) from Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. S. Afr. J. mar. Sci., v. 20, p. 241 - 253, 1998.

[24] SOTO, J. M. Annotated systematic checklist and bibliography of the coastal and oceanic fauna of Brazil. I – Sharks. Mare Magnum, v. 1, n. 1, p. 51 - 120, 2001.

[25] TORRES-ROJAS, Y.; HERNANDEZ-HERRERA, A.; GALVAN-MAGAÑA, F. Feeding habits of the scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, in Mazatlán waters, southern Gulf of California, Mexico. Cybium, v. 30, n.4, p. 85 - 90, 2006.

[26] VASKE JUNIOR, T.; LESSA, R. P.; NÓBREGA, M. F.; MONTEALEGRE-QUIJANO, S.; SANTANA, F. M.; BEZERRA JR. J. L. A checklist of fishes from Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, Brazil. J. appl. Ichth., v. 21, n.1, p. 75-79, 2005.

[27] WORM, B.; LOTZE, H. K.; MYERS, R. A. Predator diversity hotspots in the blue ocean. PNAS, v. 100, n. 17, p. 9884-9888, 2003.