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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

The barred grunt Conodon nobilis (Perciformes: Haemulidae) in shallow areas of a tropical bight: spatial and temporal distribution, body growth and diet

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Author(s):
Pombo, Maira [1] ; Denadai, Marcia Regina [2] ; Bessa, Eduardo [3] ; Santos, Flavia Borges [4] ; de Faria, Vanessa Hermann [5] ; Turra, Alexander [1]
Total Authors: 6
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Oceanog, BR-05508120 Sao Paulo - Brazil
[2] Ctr Univ Modulo, BR-11660903 Caraguatatuba, SP - Brazil
[3] Univ Estado Mato Grosso, Lab Ecol Comportamental Reprod, BR-78300000 Tangara Da Serra, MT - Brazil
[4] Univ Estadual Sudoeste Bahia, Dept Ciencias Nat, BR-45083900 Vitoria Da Conquista, BA - Brazil
[5] Ctr Univ Fundacao Ensino Octavio Bastos, BR-13870431 Sao Joao Da Boa Vista, SP - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 5
Document type: Journal article
Source: HELGOLAND MARINE RESEARCH; v. 68, n. 2, p. 271-279, JUN 2014.
Web of Science Citations: 0
Abstract

This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the population biology of Conodon nobilis (Perciformes, Haemulidae) in Caraguatatuba Bight, southeastern Brazil. Monthly trawls were performed from October 2003 through October 2004 in two areas of the bight that are similar to but distant from each other, South and North. For all specimens, the size was measured and the sex and reproductive stage identified. Abundance and size were compared over areas and months. Body growth parameters were parameterized according to the Von Bertalanffy growth function. The stomach contents were identified and quantified. C. nobilis occurred mainly in the North area and showed an erratic pattern of abundance over time. Several cohorts entered in different periods, but very few large and mature individuals were observed. The results indicate a preference for shallow, ocean-influenced habitats and some degree of segregation between young and older individuals. The species showed a distribution consistent with an r-strategist species, with high abundance and a high growth constant (K = 0.68 year(-1) and L (max) = 34.2 cm). Both the relative length of the digestive tube and the prey items indicated a carnivorous feeding habit; mysids were the main item of the diet throughout the study period, indicating that this grunt is a specialist feeder. Other frequently observed items were amphipods and fish fragments. Ingestion of scales is possibly intentional. (AU)