The diets of four Bathyraja skates (Elasmobranchii, Arhynchobatidae) from the Southwest Atlantic

BELLEGGIA MAURO; SCENNA LORENA; BARBINI SANTIAGO; FIGUEROA DANIEL E.; DIAZ DE ASTARLOA JM

CYBIUM

SOC FRANCAISE D ICHTYOLOGIE

Lugar: Paris; Año: 2014 vol. 38 p. 314 - 318

0399-0974

The diets of four Bathyraja species (B. cousseauae, B. griseocauda, B. multispinis and B. scaphiops) were studied in the Southwest Atlantic. The main prey of B. cousseauae were teleosts, followed by isopods and amphipods. The isopods were the most important prey item of B. griseocauda, followed by teleosts. Bathyraja multispinis was a benthic predator that fed almost exclusively on crabs, and secondarily on isopods. The teleosts were the main prey category of B. scaphiops, followed by amphipods. These results on the diet of these infrequent skate species filled the critical data gap about the trophic ecology of Bathyraja genus in the region.