Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T02:01:08.119Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Feeding behaviour of the common dolphinfish Coryphaena hippurus: older fish use more complex foraging strategies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2015

José De Anchieta C.C. Nunes ,
Renato H. A. Freitas ,
José A. Reis-Filho ,
Miguel Loiola  and
Cláudio L.S. Sampaio
José De Anchieta C.C. Nunes
Affiliation:
Instituto de Educação, Ciência e Utilidade Sócio-ambiental (Instituto ECUS), Salvador, Brasil Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia e Biomonitoramento, Laboratório de Ecologia Bentônica, Universidade Federal da Bahia – UFBA, Salvador, Brasil
Renato H. A. Freitas*
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Biologia de Teleósteos e Elasmobrânquios (LABITEL), Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brasil
José A. Reis-Filho
Affiliation:
Instituto de Educação, Ciência e Utilidade Sócio-ambiental (Instituto ECUS), Salvador, Brasil Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia e Biomonitoramento, Laboratório de Ecologia Bentônica, Universidade Federal da Bahia – UFBA, Salvador, Brasil
Miguel Loiola
Affiliation:
Instituto de Educação, Ciência e Utilidade Sócio-ambiental (Instituto ECUS), Salvador, Brasil Laboratório de Estudos de Recifes de Corais e Mudanças Globais (RECOR), Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brasil
Cláudio L.S. Sampaio
Affiliation:
Departamento de Engenharia de Pesca, Unidade de Ensino Penedo, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Penedo, Brasil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: R.H.A. Freitas, Laboratório de Biologia de Teleósteos e Elasmobrânquios (LABITEL), Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brasil email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) is widely distributed and represents an important part of the currently exploited fishery resources. This species’ feeding behaviour, however, is poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the feeding behaviour of dolphinfish and the effect of body size (and the consequently aggregated learning experience) on the strategies used for capturing their prey. Observations were made from an oil platform in north-eastern Brazil. Dolphinfish length was visually estimated and classified into three size classes. The following foraging strategies were observed in our study: ‘active chasing’, ‘leaping out’, ‘swimming in circles’, ‘surf’, ‘using floating objects’ and ‘cleaning turtle carapaces’. The most frequently used foraging strategy was ‘active chasing’, suggesting a strong preference of dolphinfish in using visual cues during predation. Smaller size-classes of dolphinfish did not perform the ‘swimming in circles’ and ‘surf’ strategy, probably due to a lack of learning experience, since further social interactions could be needed in order to show this strategy. Smaller dolphinfish regularly showed the ‘using floating objects’ as a foraging strategy, probably reflecting an opportunistic behaviour. The smallest individuals were using more simple strategies, to chase smaller prey that could have different and less complex escape strategies. It indicates learning experience could play an important role into the dolphinfish ontogeny, moving towards more complex foraging strategies throughout their lives. Independently of the age class, the dolphinfish displayed a varied repertory of foraging strategies, maximizing hunting success in the open ocean, a hostile pelagic environment with a low prey availability.

Keywords

Ontogenypredator/prey interactionforaging behaviourpelagic fishlearningtime experienceSouth Atlantic
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 95 , Issue 6 , September 2015 , pp. 1277 - 1284
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Aguiar, A.A. (2010) Biologia e ecologia alimentar de Dasyatis americana Hilbebrand & Schroeder, 1928 (Chondrichtye: Dasyatidae) no Arquipélago Fernando de Noronha. PhD thesis. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.Google Scholar
Aguiar, A.A., Valentin, J.L. and Rosa, R.S. (2009) Habitat use by Dasyatis americana in a south-western Atlantic oceanic island. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 89, 1147–1152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alejo-Plata, C., Diaz-Jaimes, P. and Salgado-Ugarte, I.H. (2011) Sex ratios, size at sexual maturity, and spawning seasonality of dolphinfish Coryphaena hippurus captured in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico. Fisheries Research 110, 207–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alonso, L., Estrades, A., Scarabino, F. and Calcagno, J. (2010) Conchoderma virgatum (Spengler, 1790) (Cirripedia: Pedunculata) associated with sea turtles in Uruguayan shallow coastal waters. Pan-American Journal of Aquatic Sciences 5, 166–168.Google Scholar
Bakun, A. (1998) Ocean triads and radical interdecadal stock variability: bane and boom for fishery management science. In Pitcher, T.J., Hart, P.J.B. and Pauly, D. (eds) Reinventing fisheries management. London: Chapman and Hall, pp. 331–358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonaldo, R.M., Krajewski, J.P., Sazima, C. and Sazima, I. (2006) Foraging activity and resource use by three parrotfish species at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, tropical West Atlantic. Marine Biology 149, 423–433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buckel, J.A. and Stoner, A.W. (2004) Negative effects of increasing group size on foraging in two estuarine piscivores. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 307, 183–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carvalho-Filho, A. (1999) Peixes: costa brasileira, 3rd edn. São Paulo: Melro.Google Scholar
Chang, S-K., DiNardo, G., Farley, J., Brodziak, J. and Yuan, Z-L. (2013) Possible stock structure of dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) in Taiwan coastal waters and globally based on reviews of growth parameters. Fisheries Research 147, 127–136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clarke, A.J. (1992) Low-frequency reflection from a nonmeridional eastern ocean boundary and the use of coastal sea level to monitor eastern Pacific equatorial Kelvin waves. Journal of Physical Oceanography 22, 163–183.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Costa, P.A.S., Olavo, G. and Martins, A.S. (2005) Áreas de pesca e rendimentos da frota de linheiros na região central da costa brasileira entre Salvador-BA e o Cabo de São Tomé-RJ. In Costa, P.A.S., Martins, A.S. and Olavo, G. (eds) Pesca e potenciais de exploração de recursos vivos na região central da Zona Econômica Exclusiva brasileira. Rio de Janeiro: Museu Nacional, pp. 57–70.Google Scholar
Dallagnolo, R. and Andrade, H.A. (2008) Observações a respeito da pescaria sazonal de dourado (Coryphaena hippurus) com espinhel-de-superfície no sul do Brasil. Boletim do Instituto de Pesca 34, 331–335.Google Scholar
Dill, L.M. (1983) Adaptive flexibility in foraging behavior of fishes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 40, 398–408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eklöv, P. (1992) Group foraging versus solitary foraging efficiency in piscivorous predators: the perch, Perca fluviatilis, and pike, Esoxlucius patterns. Animal Behaviour 44, 313–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fish, F.E. (1996) Transitions from drag-based to lift-based propulsion in mammalian swimming. American Zoologist 36, 628–641.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Freitas, R.H.A., Negrão, C.A., Felício, A.K.C. and Volpato, G.L. (2014) Eye darkening as a reliable, easy and inexpensive indicator of stress in fish. Zoology 117, 179–184.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Froese, R. and Pauly, D. (2014) Fishbase. Available at: www.fishbase.org.Google Scholar
Furukawa, S., Kawabe, R., Ohshimo, S., Fujioka, K., Nishihara, G.N., Tsuda, Y., Aoshima, T., Kanehara, H. and Nakata, H. (2011) Vertical movement of dolphinfish Coryphaena hippurus as recorded by acceleration data-loggers in the northern East China Sea. Environmental Biology of Fishes 92, 89–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibbs, R.H. Jr. and Collette, B.B. (1959) On the identification, distribution, and biology of the dolphins, Coryphaena hippurus and C. equiselis. Bulletin of Marine Science of the Gulf and Caribbean 9, 117–152.Google Scholar
Goodman, L.A. (1964) Simultaneous confidence intervals for contrasts among multinomial populations. Annals of Mathematical Statistics 35, 716–725.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodman, L.A. (1965) On simultaneous confidence intervals for multinomial proportions. Technometrics 7, 247–254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grossman, A., Sazima, C., Bellini, C. and Sazima, I. (2006) Cleaning symbiosis between hawksbill turtles and reef fishes at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, off Northeast Brazil. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 5, 284–288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grutter, A.S. (2004) Cleaner fish use tactile dancing behavior as preconflict management strategy. Current Biology 14, 1–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hart, P.J.B. (1993) Teleost foraging: facts and theories. In Pitcher, T.J. (ed.) The behaviour of teleost fishes, 2nd edn.London: Chapman & Hall, pp. 211–252.Google Scholar
Höglund, E., Balm, P.H.M. and Winberg, S. (2000) Skin darkening, a potential social signal in subordinate arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus): the regulatory role of brain monoamines and pro-opiomelanocortin-derived peptides. Journal of Experimental Biology 203, 1711–1721.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jokiel, P.L. (1990) Long-distance dispersal by rafting: reemergence of an old hypothesis. Endeavour 14, 66–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kieffer, J.D. and Colgan, P.W. (1991) Individual variation in learning by foraging pumpkinseed sunfish, Lepomis gibbosus: the influence of habitat. Animal Behaviour 41, 603–611.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kieffer, J.D. and Colgan, P.W. (1992) The role of learning in fish behaviour. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 2, 125–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kingsford, M.J. and Defries, A. (1999) The ecology of and fishery for Coryphaena spp. in the waters around Australia and New Zealand. Scientia Marina 63, 277–301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klink, A. (1995) Cem dias entre o céu e o mar. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras.Google Scholar
Klippel, S. (2005) Estimativas de desembarque da Pesca de Linha na Costa Central do Brasil (Estados do Espírito Santo e Bahia) para um ano padrão (1997–2000). In Costa, P.A.S., Martins, A.S. and Olavo, G. (eds) Pesca e potenciais de exploração de recursos vivos na região central da Zona Econômica Exclusiva brasileira. Rio de Janeiro: Museu Nacional, pp. 71–82.Google Scholar
Lehner, P.N. (1996) Handbook of ethological methods, 2nd edn.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Leighton, T., Finfer, D. and White, P. (2009) Two hypotheses about cetacean acoustics in bubbly water. In Bio-Acoustics 2009 (Proceedings of the Institute of Acoustics Fifth Conference on Bio-Acoustics), pp. 119–128.Google Scholar
Luiz, O.J., Madin, J.S., Robertson, D.R., Rocha, L.A., Wirtz, P. and Floeter, S.R. (2012) Ecological traits influencing range expansion across large oceanic dispersal barriers: insights from tropical Atlantic reef fishes. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 279, 1033–1040.Google ScholarPubMed
Maia-Nogueira, R., Medeiros, D., Jardim, A., Nunes, J. and Sampaio, C. (2010) Banded butterflyfish Chaetodon striatus (Chaetodontidae) cleaning the green turtle, Chelonia mydas (Cheloniidae). Marine Biodiversity Records 3, e116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mathis, A., Chivers, D.P. and Smith, R. (1996) Cultural transmission of predator recognition in fishes: intraspecific and interspecific learning. Animal Behaviour 51, 185–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mery, F. and Burns, J.G. (2010) Behavioural plasticity: an interaction between evolution and experience. Evolutionary Ecology 24, 571–583.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murchison, A.E. and Magnuson, J.J. (1966) Notes on the coloration and behaviour of the common dolphin Coryphaena hippurus. Pacific Science 20, 515–517.Google Scholar
Nakamura, E.L. (1968) Visual acuity of two tunas, Katsuwonus pelamis and Euthynnus affinis. Copeia 1, 41–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nilsson Sköld, H., Aspengren, S. and Wallin, M. (2013) Rapid color change in fish and amphibians – function, regulation, and emerging applications. Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research 26, 29–38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Olavo, G. and Sampaio, C.L.S. (2006) Fish. In Marcovaldi, G. and Fernandes, O.M. (eds) Life in the deep blue, 1st edn.São Paulo: Bambu Editora e Artes Gráficas, pp. 21–130.Google Scholar
Oliveira, R.F., McGregor, P.K. and Latruffe, C. (1998) Know thine enemy: fighting fish gather information from observing conspecific interactions. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 265, 1045–1049.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oxenford, H.A. (1999) Biology of the dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) in the western central Atlantic: a review. Scientia Marina 63, 303–315.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parrish, J.K. (1993) Comparison of the hunting behavior of four piscine predators attacking schooling prey. Ethology 95, 233–246.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Potts, G.W. (1980) The predatory behaviour of Caranx melampygus (Pisces) in the channel environment of Aldabra Atoll (Indian Ocean). Journal of Zoology 192, 323–350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ralph, R. and Kawamura, G. (2002) Olfactory organs of two pelagic teleost fish – opah (Lampris guttatus) and dolphin fish (Coryphaena hippurus). South Pacific Study 22, 54–64.Google Scholar
Sazima, C., Grossman, A. and Sazima, I. (2010) Turtle cleaners: reef fishes foraging on epibionts of sea turtles in the tropical Southwestern Atlantic, with a summary of this association type. Neotropical Ichthyology 8, 187–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sazima, I., Moura, R.L. and Sazima, C. (1999) Cleaning activity of juvenile angelfish, Pomacanthus paru, on the reefs of the Abrolhos Archipelago, western South Atlantic. Environmental Biology of Fishes 56, 399–407.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmitt, R.J. and Strand, S.W. (1982) Cooperative foraging by yellowtail, Seriola lalandei (Carangidae), on two species of fish prey. Copeia 3, 714–717.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwenke, K.L. and Buckel, J.A. (2008) Age, growth, and reproduction of dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) caught off the coast of North Carolina. Fishery Bulletin 106, 82–92.Google Scholar
Smith, S.H. (1988) Cleaning of the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) by adult French angelfish (Pomacanthus paru). Herpetological Review 19, 55.Google Scholar
Soares, M.C., Bshary, R., Cardoso, S.C., Côté, I.M. and Oliveira, R.F. (2012) Face your fears: cleaning gobies inspect predators despite being stressed by them. PLoS ONE 7, e39781.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
St. John, J. (1995) Feeding ecology of the coral trout Plectropomus leopardus (Serranidae) off the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. PhD thesis. James Cook University of North Queensland, Australia.Google Scholar
Strasburg, D.W. and Marr, J.C. (1961) Banded color phases of two pelagic fishes, Coryphaena hippurus and Katsuwonus pelamis. Copeia 2, 226–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suter, H.C. and Huntingford, F.A. (2002) Eye colour in juvenile Atlantic salmon: effects of social status, aggression and foraging success. Journal of Fish Biology 61, 606–614.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Takeuchi, N. (2009) Ontogenetic changes in foraging tactics of the piscivorous cornetfish Fistularia commersonii. Ichthyological Research 56, 18–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vaske, T. Jr and Lessa, R. (2004) Feeding habits of the common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus), in the northeastern Brazilian exclusive economic zone. Arquivos de Ciências do Mar 37, 131–138.Google Scholar
Warburton, K. (2006) Learning of foraging skills by fishes. In Brown, C., Laland, K. and Krause, J. (eds) Fish cognition and behaviour. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 9–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar