Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T19:41:16.509Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Food and feeding habits of the seahorses Hippocampus spinosissimus and Hippocampus trimaculatus (Malaysia)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 November 2014

M.Y. Yip ,
A.C.O. Lim ,
V.C. Chong ,
J.M. Lawson  and
S.J. Foster
M.Y. Yip
Affiliation:
Faculty of Science, Institute of Biological Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia Save Our Seahorses Malaysia, No. 2, Jalan 6/24, Seksyen 6, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
A.C.O. Lim
Affiliation:
Faculty of Science, Institute of Biological Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia Save Our Seahorses Malaysia, No. 2, Jalan 6/24, Seksyen 6, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia Institute of Ocean & Earth Sciences, C308, Institute of Postgraduate Studies Building, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
V.C. Chong*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Science, Institute of Biological Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia Institute of Ocean & Earth Sciences, C308, Institute of Postgraduate Studies Building, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
J.M. Lawson
Affiliation:
Project Seahorse, Fisheries Centre, The University of British Columbia, 2204 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T IZ4, Canada
S.J. Foster
Affiliation:
Project Seahorse, Fisheries Centre, The University of British Columbia, 2204 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T IZ4, Canada
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: V.C. Chong, Faculty of Science, Institute of Biological Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Two seahorse species, Hippocampus spinosissimus and Hippocampus trimaculatus, sampled in east and west coastal waters of Peninsular Malaysia, fed mostly on crustacean prey; small caridean shrimps and amphipods as adults (both species), and copepods and larval meroplankton as juveniles (for H. trimaculatus only). The similar short relative gut length (~0.4) of both species is consistent with a carnivorous diet. Both species are considered specialists in prey selection, focusing on slow-moving epibenthic, hyperbenthic and canopy-dwelling crustaceans that dwell on the mud-sand seabed, or are associated with seagrass or mangrove areas. In this light, seahorses with their juveniles in shallow waters are vulnerable to coastal reclamation and development.

Keywords

Syngnathidaefood habitsstomach contentcrustacean preypreponderance indexPCAdiet overlapontogenetic shiftrelative gut length
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 95 , Issue 5 , August 2015 , pp. 1033 - 1040
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2014 

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

Aitchison, J. (1990) Relative variation diagrams for describing patterns of compositional variability. Mathematical Geology 22, 487–511.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Al-Hussaini, A.H. (1947) The feeding habits and the morphology of the alimentary tract of some teleosts living in the neighbourhood of the marine biological station, Ghardaqa, Red Sea. Publication of the Marine Biological Station of Al-Ghardaqa (Red Sea) 5, 1–61.Google Scholar
Baillie, J., Hilton-Taylor, C. and Stuart, S.N. (2004) 2004 IUCN red list of threatened species: a global assessment. Gland and Cambridge: IUCN.Google Scholar
Baum, J.K., Meeuwig, J.J. and Vincent, A.C.J. (2003) Bycatch of lined seahorses (Hippocampus erectus) in a Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl fishery. Fisheries Bulletin 101, 721–731.Google Scholar
Braak, C.J.F. and Smilauer, P. (2002) CANOCO reference manual and user's guide to Canoco for Windows: software for canonical community ordination (version 4.5). Ithaca, NY: Microcomputer Power.Google Scholar
Burchmore, J.J., Pollard, D.A. and Bell, J.D. (1984) Community structure and trophic relationships of the fish fauna of an estuarine Posidonia australis seagrass habitat in Port Hacking, New South Wales. Aquatic Botany 18, 71–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cai, N., Xu, Q., Yu, F., Wu, X. and Sun, G. (1984) Studies on the reproduction of the seahorse Hippocampus trimaculatus. Studia Marine Sinica 23, 83–93.Google Scholar
Castro, A.L.C., Diniz, A.F., Martins, I.Z., Vendel, A.L., Oliveira, T.P.R. and Rosa, I.M.L. (2008) Assesing diet composition of seahorses in the wild using a non destructive method: Hippocampus reidi (Teleostei: Syngnathidae) as a study-case. Neotropical Icthyology 6, 637–644.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chembian, A.J. and Saleena, M. (2011) Migration and spawning behavior of the pharaoh cuttlefish Sepia pharaonis Ehrenberg, 1831. Indian Journal of Fisheries 58, 1–8.Google Scholar
Chew, L.L. and Chong, V.C. (2011) Copepod community structure and abundance in a tropical estuary, with comparisons to coastal waters. Hydrobiologia 666, 127–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chew, L.L., Chong, V.C. and Ooi, A.L. (2008) Zooplankton of the Malacca Straits, with emphasis on copepods and fish larvae in the vicinities of Jarak, Perak and Sembilan Islands. Malaysian Journal of Science 27, 83–103.Google Scholar
Chong, V.C. (1977) Studies on the small grey mullet Liza malinoptera (Valenciennes). Journal of Fish Biology 11, 293–308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Choo, C.K. and Liew, H.C. (2003) Spatial distribution, sex ratio and size composition of seahorses (Family Syngnathidae) in the coastal waters of Peninsular Malaysia. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 83, 271–276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Choo, C.K. and Liew, H.C. (2004) A record of seahorse species (Family Syngnathidae) in East Malaysia, with notes on their conservation. Malayan Nature Journal 56, 409–420.Google Scholar
Choo, C.K. and Liew, H.C. (2005) Exploitation and trade in seahorses in Peninsular Malaysia. Malayan Nature Journal 57, 57–66.Google Scholar
Foster, S.J. and Vincent, A.C.J. (2004) Life history and ecology of seahorses: implications for conservation and management. Journal of Fish Biology 65, 1–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gore, R.H., Gallaher, E.E., Scotto, L.E. and Wilson, K.A. (1981) Studies on decapod crustaceans from the Indian River region of Florida. XI. Community composition, structure, biomass and species-areal relationships of seagrass and drift algae-associated macrocrustaceans. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 12, 485–508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gurkan, S., Taskavak, E., Sever, T.M. and Akalin, S. (2011) Gut contents of two European seahorses Hippocampus hippocampus and Hippocampus guttulatus in the Aegean Sea, Coasts of Turkey. Pakistan Journal of Zoology 43, 1197–1201.Google Scholar
Hanamura, Y.R., Seow, R., Chee, P.E. and Faizul, M.K. (2008) Seasonality and biological characteristics of the shallow-water mysid Mesopodopsis orientalis (Crustacea: Mysida) on a tropical sandy beach, Malaysia. Plankton and Benthos Research 4, 53–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Higashikawa, S., Chiyama, M., Hidaya, M., Nishi, T. and Arima, S. (1986) On the bottom sediments off the east coast of the Peninsular Malaysia. In Abu Khir, M.M., Ridzwan, A.R. and Mohammad Azmi, A. (eds) Matahari Expedition ‘86: study on the offshore waters of the Malaysian EEZ. Serdang, Malaysia: Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, pp. 191–197.Google Scholar
Horn, M.H. (1989) Biology of marine herbivorous fishes. Oceanography and Marine Biology – An Annual Review 27, 167–272.Google Scholar
Hyslop, E.J. (1980) Stomach contents analysis, a review of methods and its application. Journal of Fish Biology 17, 411–430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kanou, K. and Kohno, H. (2001) Early life history of a seahorse. Icthyological Research 48, 361–368.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kendrick, A.J. and Hyndes, G.A. (2005) Variations in dietary compositions of morphologically diverse syngnathid fishes. Environmental Biology of Fishes 72, 415–427.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kramer, D.L. and Bryant, M.J. (1995) Intestine length in the fishes of a tropical stream: 2. Relationship to diet – the long and the short of a convoluted issue. Environmental Biology of Fishes 143, 87–98.Google Scholar
Kuiter, R. and Tonozuka, T. (2001) Pictorial guide to Indonesian reef fishes: Part I. Eels – Snappers, Muraenidae –Lutjanidae. Australia: Zoonetics.Google Scholar
Lawson, J.M., Foster, S.J., Lim, A.C.O., Chong, V.C. and Vincent, A.C.J. (2014). Novel history data for threatened seahorses provides insights into fishing impacts. Journal of Fish Biology In press. doi: 10.1111/jfb.12527.Google Scholar
Lim, A.C.O., Chong, V.C., Wong, C.S. and Choo, C.K. (2011) Diversity, habitats and conservation threats of syngnathid (Syngnathidae) fishes in Malaysia. Tropical Zoology 24, 193–222.Google Scholar
Lourie, S.A., Foster, S.J., Cooper, E.W.T. and Vincent, A.C.J. (2004) A guide to the identification of seahorses. Project seahorse and TRAFFIC North America. Washington, DC: University of British Columbia and World Wildlife Fund.Google Scholar
Masuda, H., Amaoka, K., Araga, C., Uyeno, T. and Yoshino, T. (1984) The fishes of the Japanese archipelago. Tokyo: Tokai University Press.Google Scholar
Matheson, R.E. JrCamp, D.K., Sogard, S.M. and Bjorgo, K.A. (1999) Changes in seagrass-associated fish and crustacean communities on Florida Bay Mud Banks: I effects of recent ecosystem changes? Estuaries 22, 535–551.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mohammed Shaari, S.A.L., Rauck, G., Ong, K.S. and Tan, S.P. (1974) Demersal fish resources in Malaysian waters 2: trawl survey of the coastal waters off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Malaysia: Ministry of Agriculture Malaysia.Google Scholar
Mohammed Shaari, S.A.L., Weber, W. and Liong, P.C. (1976) Demersal fish resources in Malaysian waters – 8: trawl survey off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia (southern part of the Malacca straits). Malaysia: Ministry of Agriculture Malaysia.Google Scholar
Murugan, A., Dhanya, S., Rajagopal, R.A.S.S. and Balasubramanium, T. (2009) Breeding and mass-scale rearing of three spotted seahorse, Hippocampus trimaculatus under captive conditions. Aquaculture 290, 87–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nabhitabhata, J. (1996) Life cycle of cultured big fin squid, Sepioteuthis lessoniana Lesson. Phuket Marine Biological Center Special Publication 16, 83–95.Google Scholar
Natarajan, A.V. and Jhingran, A.G. (1961) ‘Index of preponderance’– a method of grading the food elements in the stomach analysis of fishes. Indian Journal of Fisheries 8, 54–59.Google Scholar
Pathansali, D., Rauck, G., Jothy, A.A., Mohammad Shaari, S.A.L. and Curtin, T.B. (1974) Demersal fish resources in Malaysian waters: trawl survey of the coastal waters off the east coast of West Malaysia. Malaysia: Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.Google Scholar
Perante, N.C., Vincent, A.C.J. and Pajaro, M.G. (1998) Demographics of the seahorse Hippocampus comes in the central Philippines. In Morton, B. (ed.) Proceedings of the Third International Conference on the Marine Biology of the South China Sea. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, pp. 439–448.Google Scholar
Perry, A.L., Lunn, K.E. and Vincent, C.J. (2010) Fisheries, large-scale trade, and conservation of seahorses in Malaysia and Thailand. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 20, 464–475.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramarn, T., Chong, V.C. and Hanamura, Y. (2014) Versatile mysids exploit multiple basal resources: implication of the bentho-pelagic habit in estuarine food webs. Hydrobiologia. doi: 10.1007/s10750-014-2003-5.Google Scholar
Reid, A., Jereb, P. and Roper, C.F.E. (2005) Family Sepiidae. In Jereb, P. and Roper, C.F.E. (eds) Cephalopods of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of species known to date, Volume I. FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes No. 4. Rome: FAO, pp. 57–152.Google Scholar
Schoener, T.W. (1970) Non-synchronous spatial overlap of lizards in patchy habitats. Ecology 51, 408–418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Storero, L.P. and González, R.A. (2008) Feeding habits of the seahorse Hippocampus patagonicus in San Antonio Bay (Patagonia, Argentina). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 88, 1503–1508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teixeira, R.L. and Musick, J.A. (2001) Reproduction and food habits of the lined seahorse, Hippocampus erectus (Teleostei: Syngnathidae) of Chesapeake Bay, Virginia. Brazilian Journal of Biology 61, 79–90.Google ScholarPubMed
Van Wassenbergh, S., Roos, G., Aerts, P., Herrel, A. and Adriaens, D. (2011) Why the long face? A comparative study of feeding kinematics of two pipefishes with different snout lengths. Journal of Fish Biology 78, 1786–1798.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, M.J. and Vincent, A.C.J. (1998) Preliminary success in closing the life cycle of exploited seahorse species, Hippocampus spp. in captivity. Aquarium Sciences and Conservation 2, 179–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woods, C.M.C. (2002) Natural diet of the seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshman Research 36, 655–660.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zimmerman, R., Gibson, R. and Harrington, J. (1979) Herbivory and detritivory among gammaridean amphipods from a Florida seagrass community. Marine Biology 54, 41–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar