Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T05:28:37.226Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Feeding habits of Guiana dolphins, Sotalia guianensis, from south-eastern Brazil: new items and a knowledge review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2012

Xênia Moreira Lopes*
Affiliation:
Projeto Atlantis, Laboratório de Biologia da Conservação de Cetáceos, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências da Universidade Estadual Paulista ‘Júlio de Mesquita Filho’ (UNESP), Campus Rio Claro, Avenida 24-A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
Ednilson da Silva
Affiliation:
Projeto Atlantis, Laboratório de Biologia da Conservação de Cetáceos, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências da Universidade Estadual Paulista ‘Júlio de Mesquita Filho’ (UNESP), Campus Rio Claro, Avenida 24-A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
Manuela Bassoi
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML), Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Avenida Pau Brasil, 211, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Roberta Aguiar dos Santos
Affiliation:
Centro de Pesquisa e Gestão de Recursos Pesqueiros do Litoral Sudeste e Sul (CEPSUL), Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Avenida Ministro Victor Konder, 374, Centro, Itajaí, SC, Brazil
Marcos César de Oliveira Santos
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Biologia da Conservação de Mamíferos Aquáticos, Departamento de Oceanografia Biológica, Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Praça do Oceanográfico, 191, Butantã, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: X.M. Lopes, Projeto Atlantis, Laboratório de Biologia da Conservação de Cetáceos, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências da Universidade Estadual Paulista, ‘Júlio de Mesquita Filho’ (UNESP), Campus Rio Claro, Avenida 24-A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil email: [email protected]

Abstract

This study presents new information on feeding habits of Guiana dolphins, Sotalia guianensis, in south-eastern Brazil, together with new regression equations to evaluate the weight and length of fish from otoliths, showing an overview on the knowledge about this species’ diet in this area. Eighteen stomach contents had been analysed and compared to 180 samples collected in another eight feeding studies. The analysed specimens were either incidentally caught in gillnets used in coastal waters by the fleet based in the Cananéia main harbour (25°00′S 47°55′W), south of São Paulo State, or found dead in inner waters of the Cananéia estuary between 2003 and 2009. Based on the index of relative importance analysis, the most important fish species were the banded croaker, Paralonchurus brasiliensis. Doryteuthis plei was the most representative cephalopod species. Stellifer rastrifer was the most important fish species observed in dolphins in inner estuarine waters and P. brasiliensis in recovered dolphins from coastal waters. Loliguncula brevis is the only cephalopod species reported from dolphins found in inner estuarine waters up to date. Doryteuthis plei was the most important cephalopod species observed in coastal dolphins. When considering other feeding studies, the most representative fish family in the diet of S. guianensis was Sciaenidae, which is mainly represented by demersal fishes. The main preys of S. guianensis are abundant in the studied areas, which may indicate an opportunistic feeding habit. The majority of them are not the most important target species by the commercial fishery in south-eastern Brazil.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2012

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

Abilhôa, V. and Corrêa, M.F.M. (1992–1993) Catálogo de otólitos de Carangidae (Osteichthyes–Perciformes) do litoral do Estado do Paraná, Brasil. Nerítica 7, 119131.Google Scholar
Azevedo, A.F., Lailson-Brito, J., Dorneles, P.R., Van Sluys, M., Cunha, H.A. and Fragoso, A.B.L. (2008) Human-induced injuries to marine tucuxi (Sotalia guianensis) (Cetacea: Delphinidae) in Brazil. JMBA2—Biodversity Records 15. DOI: 10.1017/S1755267208000262.Google Scholar
Barros, N.B. and Clarke, M.R. (2009) Diet. In Perrin, W.F., Würsig, B. and Thewissen, J.G.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of marine mammals. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, pp. 311316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barros, N.B. and Teixeira, R.L. (1994) Incidental catch of marine tucuxi, Sotalia fluviatilis in Alagoas, northeastern Brazil. In Perrin, W.F., Donavon, G.P. and Barlow, J. (eds) Gillnets and cetaceans. International Whaling Commission, Special Issue 12. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 265268.Google Scholar
Bassoi, M. (2005) Feeding ecology of franciscana dolphin, Pontoporia blainvillei (Cetacea: Pontoporidae), and oceanographic processes on the Southern Brazilian coast. PhD thesis. Graduate School of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, England.Google Scholar
Bastos, G.C. (1990) Morfologia de otólitos de algumas espécies de Perciformes (Teleostei) da costa Sudeste-Sul do Brasil. Master's dissertation. Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.Google Scholar
Benoit-Bird, K.J., Gilly, W.F., Au, W.W.L. and Mate, B. (2008) Controlled and in situ target strengths of the jumbo squid Dosidicus gigas and identification of potential acoustic scattering sources. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 123, 13181328.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Besnard, W. (1950) Considerações gerais em torno da região lagunar de Cananéia–Iguape. Boletim do Instituto Paulista de Oceanografia 1, 926.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bittar, V.T. (2007) Relações tróficas entre Trichiurus lepturus (Osteichthyes, Periformes) e Pontoporia blainvillei (Mammalia, Cetácea) na costa norte do Rio de Janeiro. Master's dissertation. Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Google Scholar
Borobia, M. and Barros, N.B. (1989) Notes on the diet of marine Sotalia fluviatilis. Marine Mammal Science 5, 395399.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Budge, S.M., Iverson, S.J. and Koopman, H.N. (2006) Studying trophic ecology in marine ecosystems using fatty acids: a primer on analysis and interpretation. Marine Mammal Science 22, 759801.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carvalho, C.T. (1963) Sobre um boto comum no litoral do Brasil (Cetacea, Delphinidae). Revista Brasileira de Biologia 23, 263276.Google Scholar
Clarke, M.R. (1962) The identification of cephalopod ‘beaks’ and the relationship between beak size and total body weight. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 8, 419480.Google Scholar
Clarke, M.R. (1986) Cephalopods in the diet of odontocetes. In Bryden, M.M. and Harrison, R. (eds) Research on dolphins. Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp. 281321.Google Scholar
Conceição, J.M.S., Ribeiro, M.R. and Silva, M.C. (2005) Dinâmica populacional, biologia reprodutiva e o ictioplâncton de Cetengraulis edentulus Cuvier (Pisces, Clupeiformes, Engraulidae) na Enseada do Saco dos Limões, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 22, 953961.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corrêa, M.F.M. and Vianna, M.S. (1992–1993) Catálogo de otólitos de Sciaenidae (Osteichthyes–Perciformes) do litoral do Estado do Paraná. Nerítica 7, 1340.Google Scholar
Costa, R.C., Fransozo, A., Melo, G.A.S. and Freire, F.A.M. (2003) Chave ilustrada para identificação dos camarões dendrobranchiata do litoral morte do estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Bieta Neotrópica 3. Available at http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/u3nl/pt/abstract?identification-Key+BN01503012003 (accessed 5 October 2011)Google Scholar
Cremer, M. (2007) Ecologia e conservação de populações simpátricas de pequenos cetáceos em ambiente estuarino no sul do Brasil. PhD thesis. Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil.Google Scholar
Da Silva, A.O.A. and Vianna, M. (2009) A produção pesqueira do estado do Rio de Janeiro. In Vianna, M. (ed.) Diagnóstico da cadeia produtiva da pesca marítima no estado do Rio de Janeiro: relatório de pesquisa. Rio de Janeiro: FAERJ: SEBRAE-RJ, pp. 4760.Google Scholar
Daura-Jorge, F.G. (2007) A dinâmica predador–presa e o comportamento do boto-cinza, Sotalia guianensis (Cetacea, Delphinidae), na baía norte da Ilha de Santa Catarina, sul do Brasil. Master's dissertation. Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil.Google Scholar
Deagle, B.E., Tollit, D.J., Jarman, N.J., Hindell, M.A., Trites, A. and Gales, N.J. (2005) Molecular scatology as a tool to study diet: analysis of prey DNA in scats from captive Steller sea lions. Molecular Ecology 14, 18311842.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Di Benedito, A.P.M. and Ramos, R.M.A. (2004) Biology of the marine tucuxi dolphin (Sotalia fluviatilis) in south-eastern Brazil. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 4, 12451250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Di Beneditto, A.P.M. and Siciliano, S. (2007) Stomach contents of the marine tucuxi dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) from Rio de Janeiro, south-eastern Brazil. Journal of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 87, 253254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Figueiredo, J.C. and Menezes, N.A. (2000) Manual de peixes marinhos do sudeste do Brasil. VI. Teleostei (5). São Paulo: Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo.Google Scholar
Fitch, J.E. and Brownell, R.L. (1968) Fish otoliths in cetacean stomachs and their importance in interpreting feeding habits. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 25, 15611574.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flores, P.A.C. and Da Silva, V.M.F. (2009) Tucuxi and Guiana dolphin, Sotalia fluviatilis and S. guianensis. In Perrin, W.F., Würsig, B. and Thewissen, J.G.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of marine mammals. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, pp. 11881192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gurjão, L.M., Neto, M.A.A.F., Santos, R.A. and Cascon, P. (2003) Feeding habits of marine tucuxi, Sotalia fluviatilis, at Ceará state, northeastern Brazil. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals 2, 117122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haimovici, M., Costa, P.A.S., Santos, R.A., Martins, A.S. and Olavo, G. (2007) Composição de espécies, distribuição e abundância de cefalópodes do talude da Região Central do Brasil. In Costa, P.A.S., Olavo, G. and Martins, A.S. (eds) Biodiverdade da fauna marinha profunda na costa central brasileira (Séries Livros, n. 24). Rio de Janeiro: Museu Nacional, pp. 109132.Google Scholar
Harvey, J.T., Loughlin, T.R., Perez, T.R. and Oxman, D.S. (2000) Relationship between fish size and otolith length for 63 species of fishes from the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. NOAA Technical Report NMFS150–a technical report of the Fishery Bulletin. Seatle, USA.Google Scholar
IUCN (2010) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.3. Available at www.iucnredlist.org (accessed 30 September 2010).Google Scholar
Iverson, S.J., Field, C.F., Don Bowen, W. and Blanchard, W. (2004) Quantitative fatty acid signature analysis: a new method of estimating predator diets. Ecological Monographs 74, 211235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jobling, M. and Breiby, A. (1986) The use and abuse of fish otoliths in studies of feeding habits of marine piscivores. Sarsia 71, 265274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lêmos, P.H.B., Corrêa, M.F.M. and Abilhôa, V. (1992–1993) Catálogo de otólitos de Gerreidae (Osteichtyes–Perciformes) do litoral do Estado do Paraná, Brasil. Nerítica 7, 109117.Google Scholar
Lêmos, P.H.B., Corrêa, M.F.M. and Pinheiro, P.C. (1995a) Catálogo de otólitos de Engraulidae (Clupeiformes–Perciformes) do litoral do Estado do Paraná, Brasil. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 38, 731745.Google Scholar
Lêmos, P.H.B., Corrêa, M.F.M. and Pinheiro, P.C. (1995b) Catálogo de otólitos de Clupeidae (Clupeiformes–Perciformes) do litoral do Estado do Paraná, Brasil. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 38, 747759.Google Scholar
Maciel, N.A.L. (2001) Composição, abundância e distribuição espaço–temporal da ictiofauna do complexo estuarino–lagunar de Iguape–Cananéia—São Paulo—Brasil. PhD thesis. Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.Google Scholar
Madsen, P.T., Johnson, M., Aguilar de Soto, N., Zimmer, W.M.X. and Tyack, P.L. (2005) Biosonar performance of foraging beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris). Journal of Experimental Biology 208, 181194.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Magro, M. (2005) Trichiurus lepturus Linnaeus, 1758. In Cergole, M.C., Ávila-Da-Silva, A.O. and Rossi-Wongtschowski, C.L.D.B. (eds) Análise das principais pescarias comerciais da região Sudeste-Sul do Brasil: dinâmica populacional das espécies em explotaçao—Serie Revizee-Score sul. São Paulo, Brazil: Editora Ulhoa Cintra, pp. 162166.Google Scholar
Mendonça, J.T. (1998) A pesca na região de Cananéia–SP, nos anos de 1995 e 1996. Master's dissertation. Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.Google Scholar
Mendonça, J.T., Pires, A.D., Calasans, G.C., Xavier, S.C. and Sena, R.J. (2003) Produção pesqueira marinha do litoral sul do estado de São Paulo no período de 1967 a 1994. Série Relatórios Técnicos do Instituto de Pesca de São Paulo 13, 124.Google Scholar
Mendonça, J.T., Pires, A.D., Casalans, G.C.C., Xavier, S.C., Hoff, E.A. and Sena, R.J. (2004) Produção pesqueira marinha do litoral sul do Estado de São Paulo no período de 1995 a 2002—Projeto Pesca Sul Paulista. Série Relatórios Técnicos do Instituto de Pesca de São Paulo 18, 175.Google Scholar
Menezes, N.A. and Figueiredo, J.L. (1980) Manual de peixes marinhos do sudeste do Brasil. IV. Teleostei (3). São Paulo: Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo.Google Scholar
Nery, M.F., Espécie, M.A. and Simão, S.M. (2008) Marine tucuxi dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) injuries as a possible indicator of fisheries interaction in southeastern Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Oceanography 56, 313316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newsome, S.D., Clementz, M.T. and Koch, P.L. (2010) Using stable isotope biogeochemistry to study marine mammal ecology. Marine Mammal Science 26, 509572.Google Scholar
Oliveira, M.R. (2003) Ecologia alimentar de Sotalia guianensis e Pontoporia blainvillei (Cetacea, Delphinidae e Pontoporiidae) no litoral sul do estado de São Paulo e litoral do estado do Paraná. Master's dissertation. Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil.Google Scholar
Pauly, D., Trites, A.W., Capuli, E. and Christensen, V. (1998) Diet composition and trophic levels of marine mammals. ICES Journal of Marine Science 55, 467481.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perez, J.A.A., Gasalla, M.A., Aguiar, D.C., Oliveira, U.C., Marques, C.A. and Tomás, A.R.G. (2005) Doryteuthis plei (Blainville, 1823). In Cergole, M.C., Da Silva, A.O.A. and Wongtschowski, C.L.B.R. (eds) Análise das principais pescarias comerciais da região Sudeste-Sul do Brasil: dinâmica populacional das espécies em explotação. Serie Revizee-Score sul. São Paulo: Editora Ulhoa Cintra, pp. 6268.Google Scholar
Rodrigues, A.R. and Gasalla, M.A. (2008) Spatial and temporal patterns in size and maturation of Doryteuthis plei and Doryteuthis sanpaulensis (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae) in south-eastern Brazilian waters, between 23°S and 27°S. Scientia Marina 72, 631643.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roper, C.F.E., Sweeney, M.J. and Nauen, C.E. (1984) FAO Species Catalogue. Volume 3. Cephalopods of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of species of interest to fisheries. FAO Fisheries Synopsis 3, 1277.Google Scholar
Rosas, F.C.W., Marigo, J., Laeta, M. and Rossi-Santos, M.R. (2010) Natural history of dolphins of the genus Sotalia. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals 8, 5768.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Santos, M.C. de O., Rosso, S., Santos, R.A. dos, Lucato, S.H.B. and Bassoi, M. (2002) Insights on small cetacean feeding habits in southeastern Brazil. Aquatic Mammals 28, 3845.Google Scholar
Santos, M.C. de O. and Rosso, R. (2007) Ecological aspects of marine tucuxi dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) based on group size and composition in the Cananéia estuary, southeastern Brazil. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals 6, 7182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Santos, R.A. (1999) Cefalópodes nas relações tróficas do sul do Brasil. PhD thesis. Fundação Universidade do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brazil.Google Scholar
Schaeffer-Novelli, Y., Mesquita, H. de S. and Cintrón-Molero, G. (1990) The Cananéia lagoon estuarine system, São Paulo, Brazil. Estuaries 13, 193203.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmiegelow, J.M.M. (1990) Estudo sobre cetáceos odontocetes encontrados em praias da região entre Iguape (SP) e Baía de Paranaguá (PR) (24°42′S–25°28′S) com especial referência a Sotalia fluviatilis (Gervais, 1853) (Delphinidae). Master's dissertation. Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.Google Scholar
Siciliano, S. (1994) Review of small cetaceans and fishery interactions in coastal waters of Brazil. Reports of the International Whaling Commission Special Issue 15, 241250.Google Scholar
Souza, U.P.S. (2004) Estrutura da comunidade dos organismos demersais no litoral norte do estado de São Paulo. Master's dissertation. Universidade Estadual Júlio de Mesquita Filho–Campus Botucatu, Botucatu, Brazil.Google Scholar
Symondson, W.O.C. (2002) Molecular identification of prey in predator diets. Molecular Ecology 11, 627641.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zanelatto, R.C. (2001) Dieta do boto-cinza, Sotalia fluviatilis (Cetacea, Delphinidae), no complexo estuarino da Baia de Paranaguá e sua relação com a ictiofauna estuarina. Master's dissertation. Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil.Google Scholar