Food spectrum of the deep-water rose shrimp, Parapenaeus longirostris (Crustacea, Penaeidae), from the Southeastern Atlantic and some aspects of its variability

摘要

The food spectrum of the deep-water rose shrimp was studied in the coastal waters of the Southeastern Atlantic. Its variability was shown to depend on the sex, the size-age and seasonal structure of the populations, as well as on bathymetric and geographical characteristics. Parapenaeus longirostris is a euryphagous predator (consumer of the 3rd order). It feeds on demersal and demersal-pelagic animals. Two major (fish and crustaceans) and one additional (polychaetes) food groups are distinguished.The proportion of these groups may be different depending on the shrimp size, the season, the depth, and the latitude. The variability of the food spectrum is associated, on the one hand, with the size and age of the shrimps, and with food availability in different areas and seasons, on the other hand.