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Abstract
The pink spiny lobster, Palinurus mauritanicus Gruvel, 1911 is a target species of commercial fisheries along the Algerian west coast. To better understand the natural diet of a population of P. mauritanicus, a study was conducted between June 2021 and May 2022, which aimed to compare the consumed food items based on sex, seasonality, and body size. This approach involved analysing stomach contents and determining ingested prey, with seasonal sampling conducted at three main fishing ports (Béni Saf, Bouzedjar and Oran). The results showed that fish (in general “Pisces”, but only Osteichthyes retrieved) (46.42%), Crustacea (34.28%), Annelida Polychaeta (23.33%), and Mollusca (18.57%) were the major components of the lobster’s diet. Echinodermata (8.57%), Porifera (2.38%) and Bryozoa (0.95%) were classified as minor groups. We also showed that sex and season affected the prey items consumed by the lobster. Based on the vacuity index, the pink spiny lobster was found to be feeding intensively in spring and decreasingly so in summer, autumn and winter. These results indicate that the pink spiny lobster is to be characterized as an omnivorous generalist and opportunist.
Abstract
The deep-water rose shrimp, Parapenaeus longirostris (H. Lucas, 1846), is the most dominant shrimp species on the Algerian west coast. In that area, the diet of P. longirostris was studied between July 2020 and June 2021. This approach to the diet of the rose shrimp was based on analysis of the stomach contents and determination of the ingested prey. A seasonal sampling was carried out in the main fishing ports (Béni Saf, Bouzedjar, Oran and Mostaganem). The results obtained showed that the shrimp feed intensively in spring and increasingly less in winter and summer. Crustaceans, foraminiferans, polychaetes, and molluscs constituted the most frequent preys in the diet, with respective frequencies of 58.85, 55.95, 36.63 and 32.04%. Small microplancton and mesoplancton prey (radiolarians, copepods, and various larvae) were less important in the diet of P. longirostris. Fish and echinoderms constitute accidental prey, of which the frequency is less than 10%.
Abstract
This present paper presents an inventory of benthic Malacostraca in the Gulf of Oran. The softbottom crustacean fauna was studied between February 2021 and September 2021. Samples were collected from 8 coastal stations. The class Malacostraca was represented with 2 subclasses, Eumalacostraca and Phyllocarida. Sixty-one species and 290 individuals belonging to seven crustacean orders (Amphipoda, Decapoda, Isopoda, Tanaidacea, Mysida, Lophogastrida and Leptostraca) were identified. Amphipoda were represented with the highest number of species (36) followed by Decapoda (11) and Isopoda (6). Tanaidacea and Mysida were poorly represented, with 3 and 2 species, respectively. Lophogastrida and Leptostraca were both represented by only one species. Among the crustaceans encountered, Ampelisca was the most dominant genus. The present inventory indicates that the carcinological fauna in the Gulf of Oran is less diversified than it is in other zones that have been studied on the Algerian coast (Gulf of Arzew, Bay of Bou-Ismail, and Bay of Algiers).