Feeding ecology and trophic level of Chimaera monstrosa Linnaeus, 1758 (Holocephali: Chimaeridae) in the Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

The feeding ecology of Chimaera monstrosa at a depth of 550 m was studied off Sığacık Bay, Eastern Mediterranean, in 2008. Forty males and 57 females with a length between 7.80 and 45.5 cm were caught. 33 stomachs contained food items. The diet was composed of 11 prey items belonging to 6 groups: Bryozoa, Cnidaria, Crustacea, Mollusca, Tunicata, and Teleostei, of which Crustacea (IRI% [Index of Relative Importance]=80) and Mollusca (IR%=16) were the most abundant prey groups. The trophic level was estimated at 3.50, which is similar to the results from other studies in the western and northern part of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean but is higher than in the North Sea.

Keywords:

• Chimaera monstrosa
• dietary composition
• Eastern Mediterranean
• Rabbit Fish
• trophic level

Acknowledgements

I am indebted to Dr. Okan Özaydın, Dr. Alp Salman, Dr. Fethi Bengil and to the referees for their comments and contributions during the editing process of the text.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by TUBITAK under the grant program 2209.