Activity, habitat utilization, feeding behaviour, and diet of the sand moray Gymnothorax ocellatus (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) in the south western Atlantic

Santos, Flávia Borges; Castro, Ricardo M. C.

doi:10.1590/S1676-06032003000100003

Abstracts

Activity, habitat utilization, feeding behaviour, and diet of the sand moray Gymnothorax ocellatus (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) in the South western Atlantic. The sand moray Gymnothorax ocellatus is a nocturnal predator from the western South Atlantic that actively forages on the bottom, preying mostly on crustaceans (mainly shrimps and crabs) and ray-finned fishes, which are located primarily by the sense of smell. The individuals stay stationary during the day, almost always being hidden in individual tunnels dug by animals other than the morays in the muddy sand bottom.

Muraenidae; Gymnothorax ocellatus; habitat use; feeding behaviour; diet

Atividade, utilização do habitat, comportamento alimentar, e dieta da moréia-de-areia Gymnothorax ocellatus (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) no Atlântico sudoeste. A moréia-de-areia Gymnothorax ocellatus é um predador noturno do Atlântico ocidental que forrageia ativamente o fundo, predando principalmente crustáceos (em especial camarões e siris) e peixes actinopterígios, os quais são localizados principalmente pelo olfato. Os indivíduos permanecem inativos durante o dia, quase sempre escondidos em túneis individuais escavados por outros animais, que não moréias, em substrato areno-lodoso.

Muraenidae; Gymnothorax ocellatus; utilização do habitat; comportamento alimentar; dieta

ARTICLE

Activity, habitat utilization, feeding behaviour, and diet of the sand moray Gymnothorax ocellatus (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) in the south western Atlantic

Atividade, utilização do habitat, comportamento alimentar, e dieta da moréia-de-areia Gymnothorax ocellatus (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) no Atlântico sudoeste

Flávia Borges Santos^I; Ricardo M. C. Castro^II

Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências - Universidade de São Paulo, CP 11461, 05422-970 São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. ( http://www.ib.usp.br)

^IAuthor to whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel:+55-11-3091-7511; fax:+55-19-3232-1745; e-mail: flaborg@uol.com.br

^IILaboratório de Ictiologia de Ribeirão Preto (LIRP), Departamento de Biologia, FFCLRP-Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, e-mail: rmcastro@ffclrp.usp.br

ABSTRACT

Activity, habitat utilization, feeding behaviour, and diet of the sand moray Gymnothorax ocellatus (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) in the South western Atlantic.

The sand moray Gymnothorax ocellatus is a nocturnal predator from the western South Atlantic that actively forages on the bottom, preying mostly on crustaceans (mainly shrimps and crabs) and ray-finned fishes, which are located primarily by the sense of smell. The individuals stay stationary during the day, almost always being hidden in individual tunnels dug by animals other than the morays in the muddy sand bottom.

Key words: Muraenidae; Gymnothorax ocellatus; habitat use; feeding behaviour; diet.

RESUMO

Atividade, utilização do habitat, comportamento alimentar, e dieta da moréia-de-areia Gymnothorax ocellatus (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) no Atlântico sudoeste.

A moréia-de-areia Gymnothorax ocellatus é um predador noturno do Atlântico ocidental que forrageia ativamente o fundo, predando principalmente crustáceos (em especial camarões e siris) e peixes actinopterígios, os quais são localizados principalmente pelo olfato. Os indivíduos permanecem inativos durante o dia, quase sempre escondidos em túneis individuais escavados por outros animais, que não moréias, em substrato areno-lodoso.

Palavras-chave: Muraenidae; Gymnothorax ocellatus; utilização do habitat; comportamento alimentar; dieta.

Full text available only in PDF format.

Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.

Date Received 10/18/2002

Revised 01/13/2003

Accepted 03/07/2003

ABRAMS, R.W. & SCHEIN, M.W. 1986. Individual move-ments and population density estimates for moray eels on a Caribbean coral reef. Coral Reefs 5: 161-163.
ALTMANN, J. 1974. Observational study of behaviour: sam-pling methods. Behaviour 49: 227-265.
BARDACH, J. E.; WINN, H. E. & MENZEL, D. W. (1959). The role of senses in the feeding of the nocturnal reef predators Gymnothorax moringa and Gymnothorax vicinus Copeia 1959 (2): 133-139.
BARDACH, J. E. & LOEWENTHAL, L. A. 1961. Touch re-ceptors in fishes with special reference to the moray eels (Gymnothorax vicinus and G. moringa). Copeia 1961 (1): 42-46.
BÖHLKE, J. E. & BÖHLKE, E. B. 1980. The identity of moray Gymnotorax conspersus Poey, and description of G kolpos, n. sp., from the western Atlantic Ocean. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 132: 218-227.
BÖHLKE, E. B.; MCCOSKER, J. E. & BÖHLKE, J. E. 1989. Family Muraenidae. In Fishes of the Western North At-lantic (E.B. Böhlke, ed.), p.104-206. Sears Found. Mar. Res.1(9).
BÖHLKE, J. E. & CHAPLIN, C. C. G. 1993. Fishes of the Bahamas and Adjacent Tropical Waters. 2 ed. Univer-sity of Texas Press, Austin.
BOWEN, S. H. 1992. Quantitative description of the diet. In Fisheries Techniques (L.A. Nielsen & D.L. Johnson, eds.). American Fisheries Society, Blacksburg, p.325-336.
CARVALHO, FILHO. A. 1999. Peixes: Costa Brasileira. 2 ed. Editora Melro, São Paulo.
DUBIN, R. E. 1982. Behavioural interactions between Carib-bean reef fish and eels (Muraenidae and Ophichthidae). Copeia 1982 (1): 229-232.
FIGUEIREDO, J. L. & MENEZES, N.A. 1978. Manual de peixes marinhos do sudeste do Brasil. II. Teleostei (1). Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo.
HELFMAN, G. S. 1992. Underwater methods. In Fisheries Techniques (L.A. Nielsen & D.L. Johnson, eds.). Ameri-can Fisheries Society, Blacksburg, p.349-369.
HYNES, H. B. N. 1950. The food of fresh-water sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus and Pygosteus pungitius), with a review of methods used in studies of food fishes. J. Anim. Ecol. 19: 36-57.
KEENLEYSIDE, M. H. A. 1979. Diversity and Adaptation in Fish Behaviour. Springer, Berlin.
KNÖPPEL, H. A. 1970. Food of Central Amazonian fishes: contribution to the nutrient-ecology of Amazonian rain forest streams. Amazoniana 2: 257-352.
LEHNER, P. N. 1996. Handbook of Ethological Methods. Garland STPM Press, New York.
LOWE-MCCONNELL, R. H. 1987. Ecological studies in tropical fish communities. Cambridge University Press, New York.
MILLER, T. J. 1987. Knotting: a previously undescribed feeding behaviour in muraenid eels. Copeia 1987 (4): 1055-1057
MILLER, T. J. 1989. Feeding behaviour of Echidna nebulosa,Enchelycore pardalis, and Gymnomuraena zebra (Teleostei: Muraenidae). Copeia 1989 (3): 662-672.
RANDALL, J. E. 1996. Caribbean Reef Fishes. 3 ed. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune, New Jersey.
SAZIMA, I. 1986. Similarities in feeding behaviour between some marine and freshwater fishes in two tropical communities. J. Fish Biol. 29: 53-65.
SMITH, C. L. & TYLER, J. C. 1972. Space resource sharing in a coral reef fish community. Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. Los Angeles County 14: 125-170.
SHREEVES, K.; WOHLERS, B. & SCHUSTER, B. 1991. PADI Adventures in Diving Advanced Training for Open Water Divers. PADI, Santa Ana, USA.
WOOTTON, R. J. 1994. Ecology of Teleost Fishes. Chapman and Hall, London.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
11 June 2013
Date of issue
2003

History

Reviewed
13 Jan 2003
Received
18 Oct 2002
Accepted
07 Jan 2003

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

[1] ABRAMS, R.W. & SCHEIN, M.W. 1986. Individual move-ments and population density estimates for moray eels on a Caribbean coral reef. Coral Reefs 5: 161-163.

[2] ALTMANN, J. 1974. Observational study of behaviour: sam-pling methods. Behaviour 49: 227-265.

[3] BARDACH, J. E.; WINN, H. E. & MENZEL, D. W. (1959). The role of senses in the feeding of the nocturnal reef predators Gymnothorax moringa and Gymnothorax vicinus Copeia 1959 (2): 133-139.

[4] BARDACH, J. E. & LOEWENTHAL, L. A. 1961. Touch re-ceptors in fishes with special reference to the moray eels (Gymnothorax vicinus and G. moringa). Copeia 1961 (1): 42-46.

[5] BÖHLKE, J. E. & BÖHLKE, E. B. 1980. The identity of moray Gymnotorax conspersus Poey, and description of G kolpos, n. sp., from the western Atlantic Ocean. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 132: 218-227.

[6] BÖHLKE, E. B.; MCCOSKER, J. E. & BÖHLKE, J. E. 1989. Family Muraenidae. In Fishes of the Western North At-lantic (E.B. Böhlke, ed.), p.104-206. Sears Found. Mar. Res.1(9).

[7] BÖHLKE, J. E. & CHAPLIN, C. C. G. 1993. Fishes of the Bahamas and Adjacent Tropical Waters. 2 ed. Univer-sity of Texas Press, Austin.

[8] BOWEN, S. H. 1992. Quantitative description of the diet. In Fisheries Techniques (L.A. Nielsen & D.L. Johnson, eds.). American Fisheries Society, Blacksburg, p.325-336.

[9] CARVALHO, FILHO. A. 1999. Peixes: Costa Brasileira. 2 ed. Editora Melro, São Paulo.

[10] DUBIN, R. E. 1982. Behavioural interactions between Carib-bean reef fish and eels (Muraenidae and Ophichthidae). Copeia 1982 (1): 229-232.

[11] FIGUEIREDO, J. L. & MENEZES, N.A. 1978. Manual de peixes marinhos do sudeste do Brasil. II. Teleostei (1). Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo.

[12] HELFMAN, G. S. 1992. Underwater methods. In Fisheries Techniques (L.A. Nielsen & D.L. Johnson, eds.). Ameri-can Fisheries Society, Blacksburg, p.349-369.

[13] HYNES, H. B. N. 1950. The food of fresh-water sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus and Pygosteus pungitius), with a review of methods used in studies of food fishes. J. Anim. Ecol. 19: 36-57.

[14] KEENLEYSIDE, M. H. A. 1979. Diversity and Adaptation in Fish Behaviour. Springer, Berlin.

[15] KNÖPPEL, H. A. 1970. Food of Central Amazonian fishes: contribution to the nutrient-ecology of Amazonian rain forest streams. Amazoniana 2: 257-352.

[16] LEHNER, P. N. 1996. Handbook of Ethological Methods. Garland STPM Press, New York.

[17] LOWE-MCCONNELL, R. H. 1987. Ecological studies in tropical fish communities. Cambridge University Press, New York.

[18] MILLER, T. J. 1987. Knotting: a previously undescribed feeding behaviour in muraenid eels. Copeia 1987 (4): 1055-1057

[19] MILLER, T. J. 1989. Feeding behaviour of Echidna nebulosa,Enchelycore pardalis, and Gymnomuraena zebra (Teleostei: Muraenidae). Copeia 1989 (3): 662-672.

[20] RANDALL, J. E. 1996. Caribbean Reef Fishes. 3 ed. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune, New Jersey.

[21] SAZIMA, I. 1986. Similarities in feeding behaviour between some marine and freshwater fishes in two tropical communities. J. Fish Biol. 29: 53-65.

[22] SMITH, C. L. & TYLER, J. C. 1972. Space resource sharing in a coral reef fish community. Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. Los Angeles County 14: 125-170.

[23] SHREEVES, K.; WOHLERS, B. & SCHUSTER, B. 1991. PADI Adventures in Diving Advanced Training for Open Water Divers. PADI, Santa Ana, USA.

[24] WOOTTON, R. J. 1994. Ecology of Teleost Fishes. Chapman and Hall, London.

Brasil

Brasil

Activity, habitat utilization, feeding behaviour, and diet of the sand moray Gymnothorax ocellatus (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) in the south western Atlantic

Atividade, utilização do habitat, comportamento alimentar, e dieta da moréia-de-areia Gymnothorax ocellatus (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) no Atlântico sudoeste

Abstracts

Publication Dates

History