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Feeding patterns of Lampanyctus pusillus (Pisces: Myctophidae) throughout its ontogenetic development

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Abstract

The trophic ecology of the lanternfish Lampanyctus pusillus was investigated using individuals captured off the Balearic Islands (39°N, 2°E) (western Mediterranean) in December 2009. Based on gut content analyses, the trophic niche breadth, diet composition and selectivity were determined for the entire life cycle of L. pusillus. The larval stages fed actively near the surface during the day, with a feeding incidence (FI) of approximately 71 %. In contrast, the adults fed at night, both in near-surface depths and in the 400 m deep scattering layer, with a higher FI (83 %). Diet analysis revealed a shift in the prey choice throughout ontogenetic development, from preflexion individuals, which selected nauplii and small oncaeids, to postflexion larvae, which consumed a variety of calanoids, mainly Clausocalanus spp., to the adults, which preyed on large organisms, exhibiting positive selectivity for Pleuromamma spp. and euphausiids. These results show that the vertical distribution of larvae and adults is partly conditioned by their respective feeding habits, with larvae feeding on small zooplankton in the upper layer and adults preferring to consume larger taxa that perform nycthemeral migrations.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are very grateful to Balbina Molí, Ana Sabatés and Pere Abelló, who helped to sort the samples onboard the vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa. Joan Cartes and Vanesa Papiol assisted with prey identification and Mariam Peña with the acoustic echograms. American Journal Experts edited the English version. This research was supported by project CTM2008-04489-C03-01 and 02 from the Ministry of Education in Spain and is part of the PhD thesis of Ainhoa Bernal.

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  1. Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain

    Ainhoa Bernal & M. Pilar Olivar

  2. Centre Oceanogràfic de Balears (IEO), Moll de Ponent, s/n, 07015, Palma (Balearic Islands), Spain

    M. Luz Fernández de Puelles

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  1. Ainhoa Bernal
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  2. M. Pilar Olivar
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Correspondence to Ainhoa Bernal.

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Communicated by X. Irigoyen.

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Bernal, A., Olivar, M.P. & Fernández de Puelles, M.L. Feeding patterns of Lampanyctus pusillus (Pisces: Myctophidae) throughout its ontogenetic development. Mar Biol 160, 81–95 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-2064-9

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