Ontogenetic and seasonal shifts in the diet of Diplodus cervinus hottentotus (Pisces: Sparidae) in southern Angola

Abstract

Dietary information on the zebra seabream Diplodus cervinus hottentotus was collected between March 2011 and February 2012 in southern Angola. Invertebrates dominated the diet of D. c. hottentotus (61.08% ranking index [RI]) and comprised Polychaeta (38.9% RI), Amphipoda (13.2% RI), Cirripedia (2.5% RI) and Bivalvia (1.9% RI). Although there was no general ontogenetic shift in diet, the diet of larger fish did include larger, more robust prey items such as brachyurans and gastropods. Dietary diversity as well as feeding intensity peaked during autumn and winter, a possible consequence of the intrusion of nutrient-rich Benguela Current water, as well as the onset of reproduction during this period. Diplodus cervinus hottentotus from southern Angola shared a very similar diet to that of conspecifics in South African waters, but the diet differed considerably from that recorded in D. c. cervinus from the coast of Algeria in the Mediterranean Sea.