Feeding habits of the round stingray Urobatis halleri (Cooper, 1863) (Chondrichthyes: Urolophidae) from the continental shelf of Jalisco and Colima, Mexico

Abstract

A total of 295 stomach contents of round stingray Urobatis halleri (Urolophus halleri), from the continental shelf of Jalisco and Colima (Mexico), were analyzed. The samples were taken seasonally from September 1997 to August 1998. The index of relative importance was used to determine the prey importance. This species feeds mainly on benthic invertebrates, such as the stomatopods Eurysquilla veleronis and Meiosquilla swetti, amphipods, other crustaceans, the shrimp Processa peruviana and brachyuran portunids, and to a lesser extent, on polychaetes and fishes.