Diet and feeding strategies of mesopelagic fishes in the western Mediterranean
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Bernal, A. (Ainhoa); Olivar, M.P. (María Pilar); Maynou, F. (Francesc); Fernández-de-Puelles, M.L. (María Luz)Date
2015-04-25Type
articleKeywords
mesopelagic fishesdiet
feeding
Western Mediterranean
Abstract
Myctophids, gonostomatids and sternoptychids are the most abundant teleosteans worldwide and constitute
an important assemblage of the mesopelagic ecosystem, functioning as vehicles of energy and
matter through trophic webs. This study concentrates on the trophic ecology of the most abundant mesopelagic
fishes of the western Mediterranean (WM) based on stomach content analysis. The myctophids
(in this study: Benthosema glaciale, Ceratoscopelus maderensis, Lobianchia dofleini, Myctophum punctatum,
Hygophum benoiti, Hygophum hygomii, Lampanyctus crocodilus, Lampanyctus pusillus and Notoscopelus
elongatus) perform extensive diel migrations across the water column, between the surface to as deep
as 1000 m, interacting with plankton and micronekton at multiple depths, and generally feeding in the
epipelagic layers at night. In contrast, the gonostomatids Cyclothone braueri, Cyclothone pygmaea, and
the sternoptychid Argyropelecus hemigymnus remain below epipelagic layers, feeding at ...
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