Ecology of Prognathodes obliquus, a butterflyfish endemic to mesophotic ecosystems of St. Peter and St. Paul's Archipelago

Autor(es)

Nunes, Lucas T. ^[1] ; Cord, Isadora ^[1] ; Francini-Filho, Ronaldo B. ^[2] ; Stampar, Sergio N. ^[3] ; Pinheiro, Hudson T. ^[4] ; Rocha, Luiz A. ^[4] ; Floeter, Sergio R. ^[1] ; Ferreira, Carlos E. L. ^[5]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Fed Santa Catarina, Marine Macroecol & Biogeog Lab, Dept Ecol & Zool, Florianopolis, SC - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Paraiba, Dept Engn & Meio Ambiente, Ctr Cieencias Aplicadas & Educ, Rio Tinto, PB - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Paulista, Lab Evolucao & Diversidade Aquat, Dept Ciencias Biol, Assis, SP - Brazil

^[4] Calif Acad Sci, San Francisco, CA 94118 - USA

^[5] Univ Fed Fluminense, Reef Syst Ecol & Conservat Lab, Dept Biol Marinha, Niteroi, RJ - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: CORAL REEFS; v. 38, n. 5, p. 955-960, OCT 2019.
• Citações Web of Science: 0

Resumo

Chaetodontidae is among the most conspicuous families of fishes in tropical and subtropical coral and rocky reefs. Most ecological studies focus in the genus Chaetodon, while Prognathodes remains poorly understood. Here we provide the first account on the ecology of Prognathodes obliquus, a butterflyfish endemic to St. Peter and St. Paul's Archipelago (SPSPA), Mid-Atlantic Ridge. We studied the depth distribution and foraging behaviour of P. obliquus through technical diving, remote-operated vehicles and submarines. Also, we characterized its diet by analysing stomach contents. Prognathodes obliquus is mostly found below 40 m, with abundance peaking between 90 and 120 m and deepest record to date at 155 m. It forages mostly over sediment, epilithic algal matrix and complex bottoms formed by fused polychaete tubes, preying mostly upon polychaetes, crustaceans, hydroids and bryozoans. Branching black corals were rarely consumed and used mostly as refuge. In conclusion, P. obliquus is a generalist invertebrate feeder typical of mesophotic ecosystems of SPSPA. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 15/24408-4 - Evolução e diversidade de Ceriantharia (Cnidaria)
• Beneficiário: Sérgio Nascimento Stampar
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular