Food diet of Astropecten marginatus and Luidia senegalensis (Echinodermata-Asteroidea)

Abstract

Specimens of Astropecten marginatus Gray, 1840 and Luidia senegalensis (Lamarck, 1816) were collected in the west side of Anchieta Island Ubatuba-SP). The analysis of the stomach contents showed high frequency of the Mollusca, Crustacea and Polychaeta, though other dietary items, consisting of various invertebrate groups, seaweeds, fragments of organisms and sand particles, were present. It was found that in 8,6% of the specimens of A. marginatus and 14.8% of L. senegalensis, the stomachs were empty. A larger number of whole prey was found in the stomachs of A. marginatus and as well as fragments of organisms in those of L. senegalensis. Besides the composition of the food diet, the measures for the radius of the asteroids are provided.