Trophic Interactions of European Hake Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758) in Benthic Communities off the Moroccan Mediterranean Coastline: Seasonal and Ontogenetic Shifts
Table 3
The general diet composition of Merluccius merluccius sampled in the Moroccan Mediterranean waters.
Prey category
%O
%N
%W
%IRI
Cephalopoda IRI% = 0.08
Alloteuthis sp.
1.30
0.69
0.47
0.07
Unid. Sepiolidae
0.43
0.69
0.27
0.02
Crustacea IRI% = 13.52
Alpheus glaber
0.87
0.46
0.52
0.04
Paguroidea
0.43
0.23
0.03
0.01
Nephrops norvegicus
0.43
0.23
0.24
0.01
Parapenaeus longirostris
6.09
6.22
2.23
2.25
Pasiphaea sivado
1.74
1.15
0.64
0.14
Plesionika sp.
5.65
4.61
1.58
1.53
Processa sp.
1.74
2.53
0.75
0.25
Solenocera membranacea
0.87
0.92
0.33
0.05
Unid. Decapoda
0.87
0.69
0.03
0.03
Unid. Crustacea
3.04
3.46
1.36
0.64
Euphausiids and Mysidacea IRI% = 2.72
Mysids
1.30
3.00
0.36
0.19
Natantids
0.43
1.15
0.12
0.02
Unid. Euphausiacea
5.22
11.06
1.95
2.97
Demersal Osteichthyes IRI% = 0.16
Boops boops
0.87
0.46
1.56
0.08
Capros aper
0.43
0.23
0.15
0.01
Gadiculus argenteus
0.43
0.23
0.18
0.01
Gobids
0.43
0.23
0.31
0.01
Macroramphosus scolopax
0.43
0.23
0.45
0.01
Merluccius merluccius
0.87
0.46
0.37
0.03
Micromesistius poutassou
0.43
0.23
2.83
0.06
Pelagic Osteichthyes IRI% = 56.8
Engraulis encrasicolus
0.87
0.69
1.08
0.07
Sardina pilchardus
9.13
7.83
13.03
8.34
Trachurus trachurus
16.96
13.82
49.68
47.17
Mesopelagic Osteichthyes IRI% = 21.6
Maurolicus muelleri
18.70
20.28
7.66
22.88
Myctophidae
5.22
7.83
5.17
2.97
Osteichthyes n.i. IRI% = 5.1
Unid. Osteichthyes
14.35
9.45
6.68
10.14
Polychaeta IRI% < 0.009
Polychaeta n.i.
0.43
0.92
0.00
0.02
For each prey item, the values of the following indices are shown: %O (frequency of occurrence), %N (percentage of number), %W (percentage in biomass), and %IRI (index of relative importance).
