Temporal Patterns in the Abundance and Diet of Acetes erythraeus Nobili 1905 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Sergestidae) in the Nearshore Waters of Iligan Bay, Northern Mindanao, Philippines
Abstract
Two adjacent nearshore estuaries in Iligan Bay (8°N, 124°E), Northern Mindanao were sampled to investigate annual temporal patterns in the abundance and stomach contents of Acetes erythraeus, and selected hydrometeorological factors. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) reveals temporal variations in A. erythraeus abundance and diet composition that appear to conform not only to the typical northeast and southwest monsoons, but also to three-month seasons (March-April-May [dry hot], June-July-August [wet hot], September-October-November [wet cold], December-January-February [dry cold]). Rainfall and tide largely explain variations of abundance and stomach contents. Peaks in A. erythraeus abundance are similar to those found in other tropical Acetes species whose bimodal temporal distribution patterns coincide with the start of the southwest monsoon and the end of the northeast monsoon. A. erythraeus is a zooplanktivorous omnivore with copepods, ostracods, other crustaceans, and molluscan veligers as the predominant food. A total of twelve (12) diet categories were recorded, including, for the first time, dinoflagellates and tintinnids. A comparison of stomach contents of shrimps, caught before and after midnight, showed higher ingestion after midnight. Diet composition of juvenile and adult shrimps, generally, is independent of sex and sampling location. Although there is overlap in the diet between adults and juveniles, the latter ingest more small-sized food categories.
Issue
Section
Articles
Keywords
acetes erythraeus, abundance, diet analysis, temporal patterns
Submission of a manuscript implies: that the work described has not been published before (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis); that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that its publication has been approved by all co-authors, if any, as well as by the responsible authorities at the institute where the work has been carried out; that, if and when the manuscript is accepted for publication, the authors agree to the automatic transfer of the copyright to the publisher; that the manuscript will not be published elsewhere in any language without the consent of the copyright holders; that written permission of the copyright holder is obtained by the authors for material used from other copyrighted sources; and that any costs associated with obtaining this permission are the authors’ responsibility.
