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Food and feeding habits of black scorpionfish, Scorpaena porcus (Osteichthyes: Scorpaenidae) from the northern coast of Tunisia (Central Mediterranean)

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Abstract

Food and feeding habits of black scorpionfish Scorpaena porcus Linnaeus, 1758 were carried out from 715 specimens collected off Ras Jebel, city located in northern Tunisia. Diet was studied in relation to fish size, sexes and seasons. The relationship total length (TL) versus total body mass (TBM) showed a positive allometry, suggesting that S. porcus found favourable environmental parameters and available preys in its habitat. Vacuity index (VI) values were high for the total sample and also related to size classes, sexes, and seasons. Stomach contents of S. porcus revealed a very large diversity of preys; a total of 79 taxa were recorded, 3 osteichthyan, 69 crustacean, 2 annelid and 2 gastropod species, while angiosperma, alga, were rare. Crustaceans were the most abundantly found followed by osteichthyes. The troph value of S. porcus from the north-eastern coast of Tunisian reached 3.48 ± 0.58. S. porcus did not display significant changes in the diet related to sizes and/or seasons. S. porcus should be included among the carnivorous species which play a major role in regulation of marine food webs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Bio-surveillance de l’Environnement, Unité d’Hydrobiologie Littorale et Limnique Université de Carthage, Faculté des Sciences, Zarzouna, 7021, Bizerte, Tunisia

    S. Rafrafi-Nouira, O. El Kamel-Moutalibi & M. Boumaïza

  2. Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive—CNRS UMR 5175, 1919 route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    C. Reynaud

  3. Laboratoire d’Ichtyologie, case 104, Université Montpellier II, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, 34 095, Montpellier cedex 5, France

    C. Capapé

Authors
  1. S. Rafrafi-Nouira
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  2. O. El Kamel-Moutalibi
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  3. M. Boumaïza
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  4. C. Reynaud
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  5. C. Capapé
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Correspondence to C. Capapé.

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Rafrafi-Nouira, S., El Kamel-Moutalibi, O., Boumaïza, M. et al. Food and feeding habits of black scorpionfish, Scorpaena porcus (Osteichthyes: Scorpaenidae) from the northern coast of Tunisia (Central Mediterranean). J. Ichthyol. 56, 107–123 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945216010112

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945216010112

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