Diet composition of batoids on the continental shelf off Nayarit and Sinaloa, Mexico

Abstract

Since elasmobranchs are frequently apex predators in marine ecosystems, information on their diet is essential for understanding trophic relationships in these systems. Trophic similarity between six batoid species (Rhinoptera steindachneri, Rhinobatos glaucostigma, Dasyatis dipterura, Urotrygon aspidura, U. nana, and U. rogersi) was examined by analyzing the stomach contents of 140 individuals. Specimens were caught by the commercial shrimp fishery in the central Mexican Pacific. In total, 88.6% of the stomachs were completely to partially full, allowing the identification of 77 types of prey. The primary dietary components were crustaceans, followed by annelids and mollusks. Values of diet breadth for the six species indicated low diversity in prey items. Diet similarity suggested two trophic guilds: R. glaucostigma, U. nana, and U. aspidura belong to the cancritrophic guild (P < 0.05) and U. rogersi and D. dipterura to the annelidcrustacean guild. Rhinoptera steindachneri showed no evident pattern of association (feeding primarily on ophiuroids). In light of these results, we argue that a distribution of alimentary resources (niche partitioning) between the six species favors their coexistence.