Dieta do siri Callinectes exasperatus (Decapoda, Portunidae) no estuário do Rio Cachoeira, Ilhéus, Bahia Fabrício Lopes de Carvalho, Erminda da Conceição Guerreiro Couto Laboratório de Oceanografia Biológica, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, UESC, 45662‑000, Ilhéus, BA, Brasil. Resumo Palavras-chave: forrageamento, crustacea, brachyura, alimentação Abstract. Diet of the swimming crab Callinectes exasperatus (Decapoda, Portunidae) in the Cachoeira River estuary, Ilhéus, Bahia. To characterize the diet of Callinectes exasperatus in the Cachoeira River estuary in Ilhéus (Bahia, Brazil) monthly collections were performed between September 2007 and October 2008 at five stations of the estuary using baited traps. For stomach content analysis were used the percentage points and frequency of occurrence methods. In the twelve months were analyzed 111 stomachs (91% females and 9% males). Over half of the specimens had completely empty stomachs (fullness 0). Only 4% had stomachs with fullness level 3 or 4 (maximum). The two main food items were Crustacea and Mollusca, with alternation of the most important prey according to the analysis method. Crustacea, being represented by larger organisms in the C. exasperatus diet, showed the highest percentage of points. In other hand, Mollusca was represented by smaller preys, but with slightly higher frequency of occurrence compared to Crustacea. Besides Crustacea and Mollusca, also were recorded Macroalgae, Osteichthyes, unidentified organic matter and sediment in the local diet of C. exasperatus. Keywords: foraging, crustacea, brachyura, feeding CARVALHO, F. L.; COUTO, E.C.G. (2010). Dieta do siri Callinectes exasperatus (Decapoda, Portunidae) no estuário do Rio Cachoeira, Ilhéus, Bahia. Uniciências, 14(2):.325 - 334. |