7
Feeding Habits of Both Deep-Water
Red Shrimps, Aristaeomorpha foliacea and
Aristeus antennatus (Decapoda, Aristeidae)
in the Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean)
Kostas Kapiris
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research,
Institute of Marine Biological Resources,
Greece
1. Introduction
1.1 The deep-water fishes’ diet habits: Some notes on the present and the future
knowledge
The study of dietary composition and feeding habits of fish has been considered as one of
the most important topics in the ecology of animal marine communities. Both the biology of
species (as a population level) and their interaction with biological and environmental
factors are influenced by the food resources exploited by fish.
At bathyal depths, most of our knowledge on deep-sea demersal communities, mainly for
both fishes and large invertebrates – e.g. decapods crustaceans, comes principally from areas
where deep-water fisheries are commercially developed. Most deep-sea (>1000 m) fish are
active predators, regarded as generalist (i.e. highly diversified diets) and depend mainly on
benthopelagic and mesopelagic prey (Mauchline & Gordon, 1986). The distribution of these
preys is closely associated with the bottom; however, many demersal fishes feed principally
on vertically migrating mesopelagic organisms such as myctophids and cephalopods.
Crustacean zooplanktivores constitute the majority of deep-sea pelagic fish species and
families examined. Less common are predators that primarily ingest soft-bodied or
gelatinous zooplankton, gastropod molluscs and polychaete worms. These categories of
predators are generally represented by a few individual species within different families
(Randall & Farrell, 1997)
Many deep-sea fish show diel and seasonal feeding patterns (e.g. Macpherson, 1980;
Mauchline & Gordon, 1984; Atkinson, 1995), which have been often related to the temporal
vertical migrations of their mesopelagic prey (Gartner et al., 1997). To understand temporal
(e.g. daily, seasonal) and spatial changes in the diet and trophic habits of bathyal fish it is
crucial simultaneous sampling of their trophic resources (Madurell, 2003). However despite
the accepted role of this fauna in the bathyal food webs, little is known about their
interactions and their dynamics.
112
Food Quality
To date, studies on the feeding habits of deep-sea fish have focused mainly on depth related
changes and only few studies have addressed aspects of seasonal or diel feeding cycles.
Studies on food resource partitioning are scarce in non-littoral marine environments, with
some studies performed in deep-sea communities at a community level and within a single
feeding guild (e.g. Carrassón & Cartes, 2002). In general, food is considered as the major
limiting factor in the functioning of deep-water ecosystems and trophic aspects have been
considered as the most important factor on deep-sea faunal community organization
(Jumars & Gallagher, 1982).
The knowledge concerning the deep-sea organisms’ biology remains almost in its infancy.
Many aspects about their diet are still speculative. Many lags exist concerning the type of
the bottom, the spatial and temporal distribution of many fishes and the taxonomic
composition of the fauna. The result of further detailed studies could offer important
elements to our learning about the taxonomic composition, life history and physiology
studies, such as feeding habits (Randall & Farrell, 1997).
1.2 Feeding habits in Decapod crustaceans of shallow and deep-sea waters – General
aspects
The much diversified diet of penaeids (shrimps or prawns) was first described by Williams
(1955) who studied the stomach content of prawns from the eastern United States. Generally
speaking, the condition of the gut contents prevents the use of the most methods of
quantifying diet. Techniques such as weighting the food, measuring the size of prey or
reconstituting prey cannot be used (Dall et al., 1990). Decapods can catch mobile freeswimming prey; the remains of fish and squid form a major part of the diet of several
species and their preferable animal food is other small crustaceans, polychaets, mollusks
(Dall et al., 1990), plant remains (Kuttyamma, 1974) and a very small portion of bacteria
(Moriarty & Barclay, 1981).
Most shrimps spend the day buried in the substratum and emerge and feed at night. Because
of their small stomach, they feed several times each night in order to obtain sufficient food.
Under natural conditions, where food items are small and dispersed, searching and ingestion
probably continue through the night and rates of ingestion and ejection are probably similar
(Dall, 1968). This allows the foregut to be filled repeatedly and enables the shrimps to take in
considerably more food if they fed only once per night (Dall et al, 1990).
Decapods can even be dominant in some deep-water regions, including the deep
Mediterranean, where subtropical species dominate in terms of biomass (Cartes & Sardà,
1992). It has been suggested that this dominance is due to the low metabolic rates of this
taxon, which has low feeding rates and hence is better adapted to live under oligotrophic
conditions than, for instance, fishes (Cartes & Sardà, 1992). In bathyal ecosystems, decapods
occupy a variety of ecological niches and exhibit a similar range of trophic levels to fish
(Polunin et al., 2001). They also have a wide variety of feeding habits or guilds (Cartes et al.,
2002), ranging from deposit feeders to carnivores, the latter including specialized species
preying on benthos (e.g. Crangonidae: Lagardère, 1977) or macrozooplankton (e.g.
Pandalidae: Cartes, 1993a). As a consequence, decapods are an ideal group in which to
analyze changes in the structure and dynamics of ecosystems exposed to temporal (e.g.
Seasonal) or spatial (e.g. depth) gradients (Cartes et al., 2007).
Feeding Habits of Both Deep-Water Red Shrimps, Aristaeomorpha foliacea
and Aristeus antennatus (Decapoda, Aristeidae) in the Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean)
113
2. Mediterranean deep sea waters
The Mediterranean Sea – Mare Nostrum, Mare Internum or Mediterraneum is a relatively small,
deep basin that is surrounded by continents. It is 4000 km in length and is located between
30o and 46o N and 5.50o W and 36o E (excluding the Black Sea). The Mediterranean Basin is
subdivided by a series of tranverse ridges with a north-south trend. These ridges exist in the
western (Alboran, Balearic, Tyrrhenian basins) and the eastern part (Ionian, Aegean,
Levantine) (Sardà et al., 2004 and references herein).
Deep-sea ecosystems include the waters and sediments beneath approximately 200 m depth
(Emig & Geistdoerfer, 2004) and represent the world’s largest biome, covering more than
65% of the earth’s surface and including more than 95% of the global biosphere. The deepsea domain of the Mediterranean is divided in three zones: bathyal, abyssal and hadal
(Table 1). The edge of the continental shelf is the boundary between the neritic (inshore)
domain and the deep-sea oceanic (offshore) domain. Its depth varies with the ocean or Sea.
The deepest point in the Mediterranean, 5,121 m, is found at the North Matapan-Vavilov
Trench, Ionian Sea. The deep-sea floor includes regions characterized by complex
sedimentological and structural features: (a) continental slopes, (b) submarine canyons, (c)
base-of-slope deposits, and (d) bathyal or basin plains with abundant deposits of
hemipelagic and turbidity mud’s (Danovaro et al., 2010).
Table 1. Comparison of the ranges in depth of the deep-sea zones of the World Ocean and
the Mediterranean Sea (Emig & Geistdoerfer, 2004).
A further unique feature of the Mediterranean is that it is one of the few warm deep-sea
basins in the world, where temperatures remain largely uniform at around 12,5-14,5ºC at all
depths, with high salinity (38,4-39,0 PSU) and high oxygen levels (4,5-5,0 ml, Hopkins,
1985). The constant temperature and salinity regime of the Mediterranean contrasts with the
Atlantic at comparable latitudes, where temperature decreases and salinity increases with
depth.
114
Food Quality
The Eastern and Western Mediterranean display important geological and biological
differences. First, the Eastern Mediterranean is geologically more active, because it is a
contact zone between 3 major tectonic plates: African, Eurasian and Arabian. The Western
Mediterranean is relatively featureless in comparison, although still not devoid of unique
environments. Biologically, the Western Mediterranean, whilst still oligotrophic by North
Atlantic standards, has relatively high primary production, especially in the Gulf of Lions,
due to the river Rhone runoff and wind mixing. The Eastern Mediterranean has very low
primary production. The existing deep Mediterranean appears to be much younger than
any other of the world’s deep ocean and only a small fraction of specialized taxa exists in its
deep-sea fauna. Traditionally the Mediterranean Sea is one of the most intensively
investigated areas of the world in both terrestrial and coastal marine biodiversity, but it lags
other regions of the world in studies of its deep-sea fauna.
2.1 Mediterranean deep sea fauna
The Mediterranean appears to be a remarkable natural laboratory for the study of the
processes of recent colonization as related to the unique history of each of the two great
Mediterranean basins (western and eastern) (Emig & Geistdoerfer, 2004) and, due to the
presence of few endemic species, is a important centre of evolution. Its fauna is composed
mainly of primitive taxonomic groups among the phyla represented, whereas a small
fraction of specialized taxa exists in the deep-sea fauna. Despite its small dimensions (0,82%
of the ocean surface), the basin hosts more than 7,5% of global biodiversity (Bianchi & Morri,
2000). However, this information is almost completely confined to coastal ecosystems, and
data on deep-sea assemblages are still limited (e.g. Ramirez-Llodra et al., 2009).
The stable environment of the deep Mediterranean Sea permits to the biotic (e.g. trophic)
factors may have a comparatively strong influence on the ecology and biology (e.g. food intake
and reproduction) of deep-Mediterranean species (Madurell & Cartes, 2006). Also, the depth
overlap between and the depth range inhabited by megafaunal fish and decapod crustaceans
(Cartes and Carrasson, 2004) are mainly explained by trophic variables (e.g. trophic level).
The deep Mediterranean fauna displays a number of characteristics that differentiate it from
other deep-sea faunas of the world’s oceans (Bouchet & Taviani, 1992): i) the high degree of
eurybathic species; ii) absence (or low representation) of typical deep-water groups, such as
macroscopic foraminifera (Xenophyophora), glass sponges (Hexactinellida), Sea-cucumbers
of the order Elasipodida, primitive stalked Sea-lilies (Crinoidea) and tunicates (Sea-squirts)
of the class Sorberacea (Monniot & Monniot, 1990); and iii) the number of endemic species
(26.6% of the Mediterranean fauna: Ruffo, 1998) declines with increasing depth, with
comparatively low endemisms below 500 m (see also Fredj & Laubier, 1985).
The existed quantitative data from this basin are scarce. Several investigations have
described low-abundance and low-diversity conditions of marine invertebrates in the
Eastern Mediterranean (Tselepides & Eleftheriou, 1992). Scientific knowledge of deep
megafaunal communities (mainly fish, crustaceans and cephalopods) was limited to the
bathymetric range exploited by fishing (down to 800-1000-m) until the early 1980’s, when
scientific expeditions began quantitatively sampling the bathyal grounds in the
Mediterranean. Such studies in the Western and Central Mediterranean have focused on the
Feeding Habits of Both Deep-Water Red Shrimps, Aristaeomorpha foliacea
and Aristeus antennatus (Decapoda, Aristeidae) in the Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean)
115
two most abundant groups below 600 m depth: fishes (D’Onghia et al., 2004) and decapod
crustaceans (e.g. Company et al., 2004). At depths below the 1500 m, there is an increase in
the relative abundance of crustaceans in comparison to fish (Company et al., 2004). This
change in the relative abundance of these two groups has been explained by the low food
availability at greater depths and the higher adaptation of crustaceans to low energy levels
(e.g. Company et al., 2004).
2.2 Mediterranean deep sea crustacean fauna
Decapod crustaceans are one of the dominant megafaunal groups in the deep-sea
communities of the Mediterranean Sea (Sardà et al., 1994a). The relatively oligotrophic
nature of Mediterranean waters has been presented as one of the environmental factors
contributing to the high abundance of decapod crustaceans in comparison with other
oceans, in which other megafaunal invertebrates, chiefly echinoderms, predominate (Tyler
& Zibrowius, 1992). However, though the Mediterranean is a relatively small Sea compared
with other oceans, existing data and our understanding of the continental margins at depths
below 2000 m lags behind. Decapods are much more abundant than other invertebrate
groups in the Mediterranean, in contrast to more productive oceans like the Atlantic, where
echinoderms are the dominant invertebrate group (e.g. Sardà et al., 1994a), because these
crustaceans be more competitive than other invertebrate or vertebrate megafauna in
oligotrophic environments (Maynou & Cartes, 2000).
In the W. Mediterranean 28 decapod species were identified, including 6 Dendrobranchiata,
1 Stenopodidean, 7 Caridea, 2 Thalassinidea, 2 Palinura, 3 Anomura, and 7 Brachyura.. The
most pronounced qualitative changes in the fauna were recorded between 1000 and 1200 m
and at around 2000 m. The bathyal decapod fauna mainly composed by species belonging to
the families Crangonidae, Galatheidae and Geryonidae, and the genera Nematocarcinus and
Stereomastis. In addition to this the tropical species A. antennatus, Acanthephyra eximia, and
Plesionika acanthonotus are widely distributed and frequent in the deep western
Mediterranean (Cartes, 1993b). Thirty nine decapod species have been reported in the
Eastern Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean), of which eight were Dendrobranchiata and 31
Pleocyemata (17 Caridea, 9 Brachyura, 3 Anomura, 1 Astacidea and 1 Palinura) (Politou et
al., 2005). Concerning their depth distribution, 30 species were found in the depth zone 300500 m, with Parapenaeus longirostris being the most abundant species. Of the 27 species
caught in the zone 500-700 m, A. foliacea and Plesionika martia were the most abundant. In the
zone 700-900 m, 19 species were found and A. foliacea with A. antennatus were the most
numerous. Finally, the 18 decapod species encountered in the zone 900-1200 m showed low
abundance, and Sergia robusta with Polycheles typhlops predominated in numbers. From the
identified decapods, Acanthephyra eximia, Philoceras echinulatus and Pontophilus norvegicus
were mentioned for the first time in the E. Ionian Sea. Some other species, such as
Acanthephyra pelagica, Geryon longipes, Munida tenuimana, Paromola cuvieri, Parthenope
macrochelos, Pasiphaea multidentata, Plesionika narval, Polycheles typhlops, Sergestes arachnipodus
and Sergestes arcticus have been reported for the area only in the gray literature.
3. Aristeidae: Distribution and particular hydrological conditions
In updated systematic approaches (Pérez-Farfante & Kensley, 1997) both deep-sea red shrimps
- A. antennatus and A. foliacea - are the only Mediterranean representatives of the Aristeidae
116
Food Quality
family (superfamily Penaeoidea, Order: Decapoda, Sub-order: Dendrobranchiata). The species
of the family (Aristaeomorpha, Aristeus and Plesiopenaeus), all large-size commercial shrimps,
occur in deep water off the continental shelf. Important morphological characteristics of both
species are i) light exoskeletons and long pleopods suggesting good swimming ability; ii)
secondary sexual dimorphism concerning body size and the rostrum; and iii) an open
thelicum. The spermatophores are larger in A. antennatus, in relation to a greater fecundity: in
fact the females of A. antennatus produce about four times more eggs than A. foliacea females of
the same size (Orsi Relini & Semeria, 1983). The life history of the two species therefore begins
with a very different energy budget and probably body development.
3.1 Aristaeomorpha foliacea: Distribution and importance
The giant red shrimp or deep-sea red shrimp A. foliacea (Risso, 1827) is a species of a very
wide geographical distribution in the world. It occurs in the Mediterranean Sea and the
eastern Atlantic, the western Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific from Japan
to Australia, New Zealand and the Fiji Islands (Pérez Farfante & Kensley, 1997) Gracia et al.
(2010) recently explored deep waters off the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and showed that
A. foliacea represents a potential fishing resource. Nowadays, A. foliacea constitute a valuable
deep shrimp fishery off the south-eastern and southern sectors of the Brazilian coast
(Dallagnolo et al., 2009). The giant red shrimp has been recently found in large quantities in
the Colombian Caribbean Sea (Paramo & Urlich, in press) (Figure 3).
In the Mediterranean, the species is of great economic interest and, together with A.
antennatus (Risso, 1816), represents the main target species of the slope trawl fisheries down
to 800-1000 m (Demestre, 1994; Ragonese et al., 1994a,b; Sardà & Cartes, 1994b; Matarrese et
al.,1997). This species is heavily exploited in Western Mediterranean, and is currently fished
in the Central Mediterranean; its stocks are pristine in the Eastern Mediterranean (Bianchini
& Ragonese, 1994; Papaconstantinou & Kapiris, 2003; Gönülal et al., 2010) and its
exploitation is not yet been developed.
Fig. 2. Geographical distribution of A. foliacea (Source: http://www.aquamaps.org/receive.php).
Feeding Habits of Both Deep-Water Red Shrimps, Aristaeomorpha foliacea
and Aristeus antennatus (Decapoda, Aristeidae) in the Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean)
117
The economic importance of the giant red shrimp in the Mediterranean enhanced the
scientific interest of the study and evaluation of its stocks. Most scientific information on A.
foliacea comes from the central Mediterranean, where the species is relatively abundant and
exploited by the commercial fishery (e.g. D’Onghia et al., 1998). It concerns its biology (e.g.
D’Onghia et al., 1994; Levi & Vacchi, 1988; Mura et al., 1997), ecology (e.g. Ragonese et al.,
1994a) and fisheries (e.g. Ragonese, 1995; Matarrese et al., 1995). In the eastern
Mediterranean (Greek waters), knowledge of the species was recently obtained. Some
information on its distribution (Kallianiotis et al., 2000; Kapiris et al., 2001c), morphometry
(Kapiris et al., 2002; Kapiris, 2005) and biology (Kapiris et al., 1999 ; Kapiris & ThessalouLegaki, 2001b, 2006, 2009; Papaconstantinou & Kapiris, 2003), feeding (Kapiris et al.,2010)
and fishery (Mytilineou et al.,2006) appeared in the literature. According to the present state
of knowledge the species depth distribution ranges between 123 and 1047 m, with a
maximum abundance from 400 to 800 m in most areas. The maximum depth of occurrence
was found to be 1100 m for the whole Mediterranean basin (Politou et al., 2004).
Fig. 3. Specimens of A. foliacea (Source: http://www.google.gr).
3.2 Aristeus antennatus: Distribution and importance
During the last twenty years a variety of aspects of the blue-red deep water shrimp (A.
antennatus Risso, 1816) (Figure 4) have been studied in detail in the western, central and
eastern Mediterranean Sea, such as fisheries (e.g. Demestre & Martín, 1993; Bianchini &
Ragonese, 1994; Sardà et al., 1998; 2003; Papaconstantinou & Kapiris, 2001; D’Onghia et al.,
2005), biology (e.g. Kapiris & Thessalou-Legaki, 2001a, 2006, 2009; Kapiris et al., 2002;
Kapiris & Kavvadas, 2009; Matarrese et al., 1997; Sardà & Cartes, 1993; Mura et al., 1998;
Follesa et al., 1998; Orsi Relini & Relini, 1998; Sardà et al.,1998), ecology (e.g. Sardà & Cartes,
1997; Cartes & Maynou, 1998; Kapiris et al., 1999; Kapiris & Thessalou-Legaki, 2011), and
physiology (e.g. Company & Sardà, 1998; Puig et al., 2001).
In the Mediterranean, this important commercially and biologically species may be fished
from depths of 80 m along the Algerian coast at night (Nouar, 2001), with more abundant
distribution between 400 m and 800 m in Tyrrhenian waters (Aquastudio, 1996) (Figure 5).
Its eurybathic distribution ranges from 100 and 150 m to nearly 1000 m in the western Ionian
Sea (south Italy, Relini et al., 2000), down to 800 in the eastern Ionian (Papaconstantinou &
Kapiris, 2001) and 900-1000 m off Catalonia (Demestre & Martín, 1993; Sardà et al., 1998).
118
Food Quality
Nevertheless, experimental catches (Sardà et al., 2004) have been made down to a depth of
3300 m. This broad depth distribution range for this species has led to a number of
hypotheses concerning its ecology and possible relationships between the exploited
populations on the upper and middle slope and the non-exploited populations dwelling
deeper on the lower slope (Sardà et al., 2003). Its biology (reproduction, sex-ratio, feeding
habits, and population dynamics and fisheries) is relatively well known down to 800 m,
where fishery occurs.
Fig. 4. Female and male individual of A. antennatus (Source:
http://cobmedits2011.wordpress.com/produccion-scientifica/evaluaciones)
Fig. 5. Geographical distribution of A. antennatus
(Source: http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/slp/SpeciesSummary.php?group=All&ID=ITS96062).
Feeding Habits of Both Deep-Water Red Shrimps, Aristaeomorpha foliacea
and Aristeus antennatus (Decapoda, Aristeidae) in the Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean)
119
An increasing abundance gradient from the western to the eastern Mediterranean is
confirmed by several previous works for these both deep-sea red shrimps. The abundance of
A. foliacea increases gradually eastwards, from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Straits of Sicily and
the waters around Greece, where it becomes more abundant than A. antennatus (Politou et
al., 2003). Different hydrological conditions (i.e. temperature and salinity) between the
westernmost and the easternmost areas have been reported to affect the species distribution
(Relini & Orsi Relini, 1987). A. foliacea is considered to be linked to warmer and more saline
water masses than the other deep Sea shrimp A. antennatus (Ghidalia & Bourgeois, 1961).
Furthermore, the eastern Mediterranean deep water transient (Klein et al., 1999) may play a
role in the increased abundance of A. foliacea in the eastern Ionian Sea, since this event is
associated with a significant upward nutrient transport, which is most pronounced in the
eastern Ionian Sea, and may result in greater biological productivity.
4. Diet studies on Aristeids mainly in the E. Mediterranean – The aim of this
study
Both aristeids present an increased diversity in their diet (Burukovsky, 1972; Lagardère,
1977; Relini Orsi & Wurtz, 1977; Cartes, 1994, 1995; Gristina et al., 1992; Maurin & Carries,
1968; Chartosia et al., 2005). ). Brian (1931), for the first time, has studied the alimentary
habits of A. foliacea and A. antennatus in the Ligurian Sea and stressed the big diversity of
prey types consumed by the two shrimps (e.g. pelagic, benthic and benthopelagic
organisms). In the Ionian Eastern Sea the diet and the feeding habits of both aristeids have
been studied in details (Kapiris & Thessalou-Legaki, 2011; Kapiris et al., 2010).
The object of this chapter is to provide a detailed description of the feeding habits of both
deep-water red shrimps in the Eastern Ionian, in relation to Season, size and sex. New
information concerning its feeding patterns provides greater insight concerning the
population ecology of these important and unexploited resources of the Greek Seas. In
addition, such data could serve in the comparison of its life history traits along the
Mediterranean.
4.1 The study area
Few studies have been carried out about the dominant demersal fish species found on the
upper-middle slope (between 473 and 603 m) in the Ionian Sea (e.g. D’Onghia et al., 1998;
Kallianiotis et al., 2000; Labropoulou & Papaconstantinou, 2000; Madurell et al., 2004). The
results of those studies indicated that the Ionian demersal ichthyofauna is similar to the
other eastern Mediterranean areas. Dominant species in the eastern Mediterranean, such as
H. mediterraneus, and C. agassizi which are plankton feeders, are rare (or absent) in the
Catalan Sea (Stefanescu et al., 1994). Macrofauna from the eastern Mediterranean decrease in
biomass below 400m and there is a significantly lower biomass of meiofauna than in the
Western Basin (Tselepides & Eleftheriou, 1992; Danovaro et al., 1999). These low levels of
benthos biomass may reinforce the dominance of top predators feeding on planktonic
resources in the Ionian Sea.
Exploratory sampling of A. foliacea and Aristeus antennatus took place along the south coast
of the Greek Ionian Sea, between Zakinthos Island and Peloponnisos Peninsula (Figure. 6).
A total of 92 hauls were taken during 12 experimental trawl survey cruises on a monthly
120
Food Quality
basis (December 1996–November 1997). Samples were collected by the commercial trawler
Panagia Faneromeni II (26 m in length, 450 HP) using a net with a cod-end mesh size of 18
mm from knot to knot. The results of the feeding habits and diet of both aristeids in the
Eastern Ionian are given below.
80
0m
Epirus
80
A
Ion
0m
A
ian
B
Se
a
Salami na Isl
Egina Isl.
s
on isso
0m
80
#
Pelop
Zakinthos
#
#
#
#
#
#
##
#
#
#
Pe
lop
on
iss
#
#
Ion
#
##
#
#
#
##
#
#
##
ia n
#
#
#
##
#
#
#
#
##
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
Se
Zakinthos
os
#
a
#
#
#
200m
B
##
#
#
#
# #
#
### #
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
Mediterrannean Sea
500m
800m
Fig. 6. Study area in the Eastern Greek Ionian Sea
4.2 foliacea’s feeding habits
4.2.1 Feeding activity and food quality
The highly diversified diet observed in A. foliacea is typical of bathyal penaeoideans in the
Western Mediterranean (Cartes, 1995). The feeding activity of A. foliacea in the Eastern
Ionian Sea was examined studing the stomach fullness according the equations (i) wet food
weight (g) per 100 g shrimp wet weight [% body weight (BW) Wet = (SWW⁄BW) x 100] and
(ii) dry food weight (g) per 100 g wet weight [%BWDry = (SWD⁄BW) * 100] (Héroux &
Magnan, 1996). The nutritional quality (food quality) of the preys has been estimated by two
ways: (a) % dry weight (DW) = (SWD⁄SWW) 100 and (b) % ash free dry weight (AFDW) =
(AFDW⁄SWD) x 100, where SWW=stomach wet weight, g, SWD= stomach dry weight, gr
after 24 h of oven drying at 70o C), ash-free dry weight (AFDW; as loss on ignition at 450o C
for 3 h) and BW is the body weight. All the weights were measured to an accuracy of 0.0001
g). The food quality indices are a measure of total organic matter and form a better
estimation of food value that wet weight, which includes substantial amounts of inorganic
material (Hiller-Adams & Childress, 1983). The stomach fullness of A. foliacea varied
Seasonally in both sexes and both fullness indices (%BW Wet, %BW Dry) were significantly
higher in females than in males for each Season. The maximum values of %BW Wet in both
sexes occurred in winter and the minimum in spring.
Diet quality (%BW Dry and %AFDW) also differed significantly among Seasons for both
sexes of A. foliacea. In general, few significant differences in food quality were detected
between males and females for each Season. Males and females of A. foliacea presented the
highest values of both quality indices in spring and the minimum in winter.
Feeding Habits of Both Deep-Water Red Shrimps, Aristaeomorpha foliacea
and Aristeus antennatus (Decapoda, Aristeidae) in the Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean)
121
The feeding habits of this decapods identified in the Ionian Sea are generally comparable to
those reported in other regions of the Mediterranean, such as in the Catalan Sea (Cartes,
1995), Sicilian Channel (Gristina et al., 1992) and Aegean Sea (Chartosia et al., 2005). Any
difference observed in the whole Mediterranean, such as food diversity, different food
categories and mean number of prey could be due to bottom morphology (Cartes 1995) and
to the oligotrophic conditions of the Eastern Mediterranean. This characteristic of the
Eastern Mediterranean could also explain the increased number of pelagic prey consumed
by A. foliacea compared to the western part of the basin (Cartes, 1995). The considerably
higher water temperature of the Eastern Mediterranean (Politou et al., 2004) may also play a
role, resulting in a higher metabolic rate of this species, in comparison with those from the
western part of the basin.
Trophic diversity ((H’, Shannon-Wiener index) varied slightly among Seasons in both sexes
(Figure 7) and no statistically significant differences were established between sexes. The
maximum diversity (3.00 and 3.04 for males and females, respectively) and mean number of
prey items (2.9 and 3.1 for males and females, respectively) were found in summer for both
sexes of A. foliacea.
The observed low number of empty stomachs [(number of empty stomachs per number of
stomachs examined) * 100] (Hyslop, 1980) in the present study, ranging from 4,5 to 18,1%,
indicating either a high feeding rate or slow digestion rate, could be explained by their high
metabolic rates. The lowest proportion of empty stomachs of A. foliacea was found in spring
for both sexes, followed by summer. In contrast, the highest number of empty stomachs was
found in autumn for females and summer for males.
Shannon Diversity
Season
AUTUMN
SUMMER
SPRING
WINTER
1,600
1,800
2,000
2,200
A. foliacea, males
2,400
2,600
2,800
3,000
3,200
A. foliacea, females
Fig. 7. Diversity index (H’, Shannon-Wiener index) values for A. foliacea per sex and season
in the Ionian Sea.
In general, a decrease in diversity and mean prey items with increasing overlap was
observed. In the Eastern Ionian Sea, the giant red shrimp fed on a greater proportion of
pelagic resources and prey with a good swimming ability, such as the natantian decapods,
122
Food Quality
and to a lesser extent on benthic prey, indicating that this shrimp is an active and effective
predator of the bathyal zone in the Eastern Mediterranean. The characteristic of its active
predation could be also confirmed by the very low abundance of infaunal and epibentic
prey (e.g. polychaetes, bivalves and gastropods) in the stomachs of this species. The
increased abundance of fishes and cephalopods in their foreguts most probably reflects the
great scavenging ability of this species. In any case, this does not exclude the possibility that
this species feeds actively upon fishes and cephalopods.
4.2.2 Food habits in relation to sex, season and size
The diets of both sexes of A. foliacea consisted of 60 different prey categories (most as
species-level prey categories). The preys belonged chiefly to three major groups: (i)
crustaceans – particularly decapods, reptantia (anomurans, brachyurans), amphipods,
euphausiids, ostracods, copepods, mysids, tanaidaceans, cumaceans, (ii) cephalopods and
(iii) fishes. These three prey categories constituted 72–82% of the relative abundance and
total occurrence for males and 70–88% of the relative abundance and the total occurrence in
females. The most dominant natantians found were the nektobenthic Plesionika martia,
Plesionika heterocarpus and Plesionika giglioli, followed by Pasiphaea sp., Sergestes sp. and
Solenocera sp. Some appendages from Aristeus antennatus were also found mainly in female
A. foliacea. These findings could be accidental, as they were found in the sampling stations
where both species coexisted and, thus, some body appendages could have been destroyed
and mixed during the net tow (net feeding). It is also possible that the smaller individuals of
each species were consumed by larger adults of the other, due to their voracious character,
but further study of this hypothesis is required. Among cephalopods, the dominant species
were Abraliopsis pfefferi, Pyroteuthis margarifera and Abralia veranyi. For fishes, specimens of
Myctophidae and Macrouridae were the most abundant in the foreguts.
Only a partial differentiation in the feeding behaviour, in terms of both diet composition and
feeding activity, was observed between sexes of A. foliacea. In general, both sexes fed upon
natantian decapods, particularly Plesionika spp., Sergestes sp., Pasiphaea sp., and fishes
throughout the year, while ‘other crustaceans’ and polychaetes were ingested on a secondary
basis. The consumption of the same prey items, but in different abundance and occurrence,
may be attributed to sexual dimorphism and to size difference between the sexes.
In general, the existence of regular Seasonal rhythms in the feeding activity of deep water
species is related mainly to Seasonal fluctuations in various factors including the abundance
of their prey, depth, local geographical characteristics, submarine canyons, bottom type,
Seabed features, Seasonal horizontal or diurnal vertical migrations, etc. (Cartes 1993, 1998).
In the Eastern Ionian Sea the Seasonal feeding habits of the giant red shrimp seem to be
related to reproduction, and perhaps to other biological processes, and food availability.
High observed values of trophic overlap between Seasons for both sexes indicated that
Season is not the main factor affecting the diet of deep-water shrimps in the Eastern Ionian
Sea. In spite of this, most feeding activity values (empty stomachs, quality indices, mean
number of prey items found into the stomachs, diversity index) support the finding that
feeding activity increased during spring–summer for both sexes. This increase could be
attributed to the increased reproductive activity (gonad maturity, egg-laying) observed in
this period (Papaconstantinou & Kapiris 2001, 2003). In addition, copulation begins at the
Feeding Habits of Both Deep-Water Red Shrimps, Aristaeomorpha foliacea
and Aristeus antennatus (Decapoda, Aristeidae) in the Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean)
123
end of winter and by spring almost all females are inseminated (Kapiris, 2004). The
minimum value of the stomach fullness in spring, in combination to the highest food quality
value and the lowest vacuity index in females in the same Season, suggests that egg
maturation is connected to the feeding habits of A. foliacea. During winter, A. foliacea had the
highest stomach fullness, but with decreased food quality. This increase of food
consumption by the giant red shrimp of the Ionian Sea during the pre-reproductive period
has also been observed in A. antennatus off the Balearic Islands. Increased feeding rates
could be the main reason for its egg development and could allow earlier gonad maturity
(Cartes et al., 2008a).
Besides the Seasonal feeding adaptation to the biological requirements (reproductive
process), food availability also plays an important role for these species in the Eastern Ionian
Sea. The highest densities in the suprabenthic fauna (mysids, cumaceans, amphipods,
isopods, tanaidaceans) have been observed during spring, but zooplankton (chiefly
copepods, ostracods and chaetognaths) were more abundant in summer and autumn. Such
fluctuations in food availability have also been shown in the diets of both sexes of A. foliacea
in this study. Thus, the diet of the giant red shrimp probably reflects localized forage
assemblages rather than a preference for specific items.
The size-related changes in diet composition are an important factor in determining
ecological relationships of marine organisms during their life span. Comparison of diet
composition, dietary diversity, and feeding activity among small, medium and (only for
females) large individuals reveals that this decapod undergoes slight changes in feeding
habits with increasing body size, as well as gonad maturity, in the Eastern Ionian Sea. Small
males and females (immature individuals) consumed fewer prey due to their smaller
stomachs, with more frequent occurrence of epibenthic prey in their foreguts. Larger,
mature individuals of both sexes are more efficient predators due to their greater swimming
ability and larger mandibles. A positive trend of ingesting larger prey with increased size
was observed only for females. This is the first time where this gradation, probably due to
the population structure and to morphological variation among size classes and sexes, has
been observed for A. foliacea. In general, somatic growth and gonad development induce a
change in this species’ feeding behavior as the body grows an increase in the mean weight
of prey and a decrease in the mean number of prey items per stomach was obvious.
However, almost the same prey occurred in the stomachs of small, medium and large
specimens, but in different proportions
4.3 Aristeus antennatus’ feeding habits
4.3.1 Feeding activity and food quality
A differentiation has been presented in A. antennatus diet according to the depth in the
western Mediterranean (Cartes, 1994), the feeding time (Cartes, 1993a) and the daily
consumption of food (Maynou & Cartes, 1997, 1998; Cartes & Maynou, 1998). The diet of A.
antennatus changed as a function of depth at around 1000 m depth in the Catalan Sea, as a
function of Seasonality influences by planktonic prey in deeper zones and by possible
nocturnal movements upward along the slope canyons (Cartes, 1993a, 1994; Cartes et al.,
2010). The importance of spatial patterns in its diet and feeding habits and the main
environmental variables controlling these trophic aspects has been studied by Cartes et
124
Food Quality
al.(2008b) in Western Mediterranean. In the whole E. Mediterranean, the feeding habits of A.
antennatus have been studied in detail in the Ionian (Kapiris & Thessalou-Legaki, 2011) and
the Aegean Sea (Chartosia et al., 2005).
The observed low number of empty stomachs in the Greek Ionian (mean value of the empty
stomachs in males was 6,53 and for females was 8,54) could be explained by their high
metabolic rates (Company, 1995). Significant statistical differences amongst the Seasonal
medians of both fullness indices were found [%BW Wet (for both sexes) and %BW Dry (only
in females)]. The maximum values of %BW Wet were determined in winter in both sexes
and the minimum in spring. Both fullness indices were statistically higher in females than
those of males (Figure 8).
Significant statistical differences amongst the Seasonal medians of both indices of food
quality (%DW, %AFDW) were established only for females. Females presented a lower
value of %DW and higher of %AFDW than males, in spring, while their highest values of
both quality indices were found in spring (Figure 8).
Females
0,25
60
0,2
40
0,15
30
0,1
Fullness
Food quality
50
20
0,05
10
0
0
Winter
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Season
%DW
% AFDW
% BW Wet
% BW Dry
60
0,12
50
0,1
40
0,08
30
0,06
20
0,04
10
0,02
0
Fullness
Food quality
Males
0
Winter
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Season
%DW
% AFDW
% BW Wet
% BW Dry
Fig. 8. Seasonal values of stomach fullness and food quality of both sexes of A. antennatus in
the Greek Ionian Sea.
Feeding Habits of Both Deep-Water Red Shrimps, Aristaeomorpha foliacea
and Aristeus antennatus (Decapoda, Aristeidae) in the Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean)
125
The diet of A. antennatus both sexes consisted of 54 prey categories. These prey items
belonged mainly to smaller crustaceans (e.g. natantian decapods, Plesionika sp., Sergestes sp.,
euphausiids, tanaidaceans), molluscs primarily gastropods, bivalves, polychaetes
(Eunicidae, Spionidae, and Nereididae), chaetognaths and, to a lesser extent, fishes. The
above prey categories consisted of 71–82% of the relative abundance and total occurrence for
males and 61–81% of the relative abundance and the total occurrence in females. Its
diversified diet in the present study area consists of increased endobenthic and epibenthic
invertebrates and includes organisms that are related with the Seabed, nekton and
decapods. This species is among the few megabenthic predators whose diet is mainly based
on benthos in the deep Mediterranean (Cartes & Carrassón, 2004). The increased abundance
of gastropods, echinoderms, polychaetes — chiefly Eunicidae, sipunculans and
chaetognaths in the stomachs, confirms that this species in the Greek Ionian Sea could be
considered a “slow hunter”, foraging mainly on organisms that live completely or partially
buried in the substratum. The macrophyte consumption was rare in both sexes and
probably reflects availability in the marine environment.
The data of the present study confirm that A. antennatus could be considered a less active
and slower hunter than the other aristeid species (A. foliacea) found in the same area (Kapiris
et al., 2010) and preys on detrivores or small predators occupying a lower position in the
benthopelagic food chain (Maynou & Cartes, 1997). The feeding activity patterns of A.
antennatus in the Greek Ionian Sea are, more or less, comparable to those reported in other
geographical regions, such as the central (e.g. Relini & Orsi Relini, 1987; Follesa et al., 2009)
or in the western Mediterranean (Cartes & Sardà, 1989; Maynou & Cartes, 1998). Apparent
differences in the activity patterns should be attributed to the more oligotrophic character of
the Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean) in relation to the western one and to the bottom
morphology (Cartes, 1995). The above mentioned oligotrophic character of the eastern
Mediterranean could explain the presence of the increased number of some pelagic preys in
its stomachs, in comparison to the western one (Cartes, 1995), but – as we said before – these
preys constitute the minority comparing to the benthic ones. Some remains of the sympatric
A. foliacea in the stomachs of A. antennatus and vice versa could be accidental, since they
have been found in the sampling stations where both species coexisted and, thus, some
body appendages were destroyed and mixed during the net tow (net feeding). It is possible
that the smaller individuals of each species, due to their voracious character, can be fed by
the adults of the other one. In any case, further study is necessary.
Only a partial differentiation in the feeding behaviour between sexes, in terms of both diet
composition and feeding activity, is observed. Males exhibit lower values of fullness, food
quality indices and evenness than females. Both sexes consume the same prey items, but in
different abundance and occurrence. From the above results, a slightly higher predatory
ability of females is shown. These differences could also be attributed to sexual dimorphism
and to size difference between the sexes.
4.3.2 Seasonal differences
Taking into consideration the narrow depth sampling range, the estimated values of the
trophic overlap indicate that, Season could not be considered as the main factor affecting the
diet of blue–red shrimp in the Greek Ionian Sea, like in A. foliacea. Notwithstanding, some
particular topics are analyzed below. The existence of regular Seasonal rhythms in the
126
Food Quality
feeding activity of deep-water species is mainly related to the Seasonal fluctuations of
abundance of prey they consume, the depth, the local geographical characteristics, the
submarine canyons, the type of bottom, the Seabed, the Seasonal horizontal and diurnal
vertical migrations, etc. (Cartes, 1993a, 1998). In addition to this, the Seasonal changes in
stomach fullness of blue–red shrimp could be possibly linked to the oceanographic
processes and to the several water masses, at least in the W. Mediterranean (Cartes et al.,
2008b; Maynou, 2008).
The above slight Seasonal changes in the feeding dynamics of this aristeid in the Greek Ionian
Sea seem to be related mainly to their biological processes (e.g. mating and reproduction) and
to the food availability. The increased values of food quality indices and diversity support the
finding that feeding activity seemed to increase qualitatively – in the period spring–summer,
mainly for females. In addition to this, the observed highest empty stomachs found in these
Seasons, mainly for females, could be attributed to the increased volume of the gonads which
press the stomach. This increase of the highly energetic diet could be attributed to the
increased pre- and reproductive activity observed in this period (Kapiris and ThessalouLegaki, 2006, 2009). As Cartes et al. (2008a) noted A. antennatus seemed to increase the energy
intake in its diet from February to April-June in the western Mediterranean. During winter
both sexes of A. antennatus in Greek Ionian Sea consume an increased number of prey items,
having as a result the highest stomach fullness, but of decreased quality. This phenomenon
could be related to the mating period which takes place in this Season (Kapiris & ThessalouLegaki, 2006, 2009). Besides the Seasonal feeding adaptation to the biological requirements, the
food availability also plays an important role for this species in the Greek Ionian Sea. Madurell
& Cartes (2005) point out that, in the same study area, the suprabenthos fauna (mysids,
cumaceans, amphipods, isopods, and tanaidaceans) showed the highest densities in spring,
while the zooplankton fauna (chiefly copepods, ostracods and chaetognaths) was more
abundant in autumn and summer. In agreement with the results of the present study, the
above fluctuations of food availability are also shown in the diet of A. antennatus. Thus, the
diet of the blue–red shrimp probably reflects localized forage assemblages rather than a
preference for specific items. In addition to this, these results reinforce the opinion concerning
the “accidental hunting” of A. antennatus.
4.3.3 Ontogenetic differences
Comparison of the diet composition, dietary diversity and feeding activity between the
small size, medium size and – only in females – large size individuals reveals that this
species undergoes changes in feeding habits with increasing body size and gonad maturity
in the Greek Ionian Sea. Small immature individuals consume less prey, mainly epibenthic,
– but of increased quality – due to their smaller stomach. Larger mature specimens of both
sexes are more efficient predators because of their greater swimming ability and their larger
mandibles. The positive trend between increasing females' body size and consumption of
larger prey is observed could be attributed to the population structure and to the
morphological characteristics of the different size classes and sexes. In general, somatic
growth and gonad development induce a change of A. antennatus feeding behaviour in the
Greek Ionian Sea: as the body grows, an increasing mean weight of prey and mean number
of prey items per stomach was obvious. However, almost the same prey occurred in the
stomachs of small, medium and large specimens, but in different proportions.
Feeding Habits of Both Deep-Water Red Shrimps, Aristaeomorpha foliacea
and Aristeus antennatus (Decapoda, Aristeidae) in the Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean)
127
5. Conclusions
Our results on the feeding ecology of both deep water shrimps could be considered as
primary importance for the future management of deep water assemblages, since they play
an important role. Since the deep waters in the E. Ionian Sea are almost unexploited, the
present data could elucidate the relationships between species in this ecosystem improving,
thus, the knowledge and the trophic relationships among the species helping in their
integrated management in the future.
According all the studies carried out on both decapods feeding habits, A. foliacea exploits
different resources from those used by A. antennatus and, despite both shrimps have similar
morphologies and size ranges, the exploitation of different resources probably both species to
coexist in the same areas (Cartes, 1995). In addition to this, since both deep-sea red shrimps
belonging in the same family, have an almost similar depth distribution It is expected that they
have similar energy values (in terms of wet mass), water body content (K. Kapiris unpublished
observations) and oxygen consumption rates (Company & Sardà 1998).
Concluding, the increased demand of the large energetic content and the food availability in
the same period make us suggest that both facts could stimulate fecundity in the deep-sea
blue–red shrimp in the E. Mediterranean. A similar trend has been shown for the same
species in the western Mediterranean (Cartes et al., 2008a, b). Generally, energy reserves
strongly affect fecundity and reproduction in fishes (e.g. Lloret et al., 2005) and have been
also observed in deep-water decapods (Fanelli & Cartes, 2008).
6. References
Aquastudio (1996). Survey of red shrimp fishing in the Western Italian basins. Final Report. CE
DG XIV, Contract nº MED92/005.
Atkinson, D.B. (1995). The biology and fishery of roundnose grenadier (Coryphaenoides
rupestris Gunnerus, 1765) in the north west Atlantic. In Deep-water fisheries of the
south Atlantic Oceanic Slope, Hopper, A. G. (Ed.), NATO Asi. Series E., Applied
Sciences, Vol. 296, pp. 51-111, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dorbrecht.
Bianchini, M.L. & Ragonese, S. (1994). Life cycles and fisheries of the deepwater red shrimps
A. foliacea and A. antennatus. Proceedings of the International workshop held in the
Istituto di Tecnologia della Pesca e del Pescato, pp. 1-87, Mazara del Vallo. N.T.R.I.T.P.P. Special Publication.
Bianchi, N. & Morri, C. (2000). Marine biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea, situation,
problems and prospects for future research. Mar. Poll. Bull. Vol. 40, No 5, pp. 367-376.
Bouchet, P.H. & Taviani, M. (1992). The Mediterranean deep sea fauna, pseudopopulations
of Atlantic species?. Deep-Sea Res., Vol. 39, No 2, pp. 169-184.
Brian, A. (1931). La biologia del fondo a "scampi" nel Mare Ligure. V. Aristaeomorpha,
Aristeus ed altri macruri natante. Boll. Mus. Zool. Anat. Comp. R. Univ. Genova, Vol.
2, No 45, pp. 1-6.
Burukovsky, R.N., Romensky, L.L., Kozyaistva, R. & Okeanografii, I. (AtantNIRO) (1972).
On the variability of the rostrum in the Aristeus varidens (Decapoda, Penaeidae).
Trudy Atlanticheskii Nauchna-issledovatel'skii Inst. Vol. 42, pp. 156-161 [In Russian].
128
Food Quality
Carrassón, M. & Cartes, J.E. (2002). Trophic relationships in a Mediterranean deep sea fish
community: partition of food resources, dietary overlap and comments within the
Benthic Boundary Layer. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., Vol. 241, pp. 41-55.
Cartes, J.E. & Sardà, F. (1989). Feeding ecology of the deep-water aristeid crustacean A.
antennatus. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., Vol. 54, pp. 229-238.
Cartes, J.E. & Sardà, F. (1992). Abundance and diversity of decapod crustaceans in the deepCatalan Sea (Western Mediterranean). J. Natural Hist., Vol. 26, pp. 1305–1323.
Cartes, J.E. (1993a). Day-night feeding by decapod crustaceans in a deep-water bottom
community in the Western Mediterranean. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. UK, Vol. 73, pp. 795811.
Cartes, J.E. (1993b). Deep-sea decapods fauna of the western Mediterranean: Bathymetric
distribution and biogeographic aspects. Crustaceana, Vol. 65, No. 1, pp. 29-40.
Cartes, J.E. (1994). Influence of depth and season on the diet of the deep-water aristeid
Aristeus antennatus along the continental slope (400 to 2300 m) in the Catalan Sea
(Western Mediterranean). Mar. Biol., Vol. 120, pp.639-648.
Cartes, J.E. (1995). Diets of, trophic resources exploited by, bathyal Penaeoidean shrimps
from the Western Mediterranean. Mar. Freshwater Res., Vol. 46, pp. 889-896.
Cartes, J.E. (1998) Feeding strategies and partition of food resources in deep-water decapod
crustaceans (400–2300 m). J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. UK., Vol. 78, pp. 509–524.
Cartes, J.E. & Maynou, F. (1998). Food consumption by bathyal decapod crustacean
assemblages in the western Mediterranean: predatory impact of megafauna and the
food consumption-food supply balance in a deep-water food web. Mar. Ecol. Prog.
Ser., Vol. 171, pp. 233-246.
Cartes, J.E. & Carrassón, M. (2004) Influence of trophic variables on the depth range
distributions and zonation rates of deep-sea megafauna: the case of the Western
Mediterranean assemblages. Deep-Sea Res I, Vol. 51, pp.263–279.
Cartes, J.E., Madurell, T., Fanelli, E. & López-Jurado, J.L. (2008a). Dynamics of suprabenthos
zooplankton communities around the Balearic Islands (NW Mediterranean):
influence of environmental variables and effects on higher trophic levels. J. Mar.
Syst., Vol. 71, pp. 316–335.
Cartes, J.E., Papiol, V. & Guajardo, B. (2008b). The feeding and diet of the deep-sea shrimp
A. antennatus off the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean): influence of
environmental factors and relationshipwith the biological cycle. Prog. Ocean, Vol.
79, pp. 37–54.
Cartes, J.E., Fanelli, E., Papiol, V. & Maynou, F. (2010). Trophic relationships at intrannual
spatial and temporal scales of macro and megafauna around a submarine canyon
off the Catalonian coast (western Mediterranean). J. Sea Res., Vol. 63, pp. 180–190.
Chartosia, N., Tzomos, T.H., Kitsos. M.S., Karani. I., Tselepides. A. & Koukouras A. (2005).
Diet comparison of the bathyal shrimps, Aristeus antennatus (Risso, 1816) and
Aristaeomorpha folicea (Risso, 1827) (Decapoda, Aristeidar) in the Eastern
Mediterranean. Crustaceana Vol. 78, No. 3, pp. 273-284.
Company, J.B. (1995) Estudi comparatiu de les estratègies biològiques dels crustacis
decàpodes de la Mar Catalana. Ph.D. thesis, University of Barcelona.
Company. J.B. & Sardà, F. (1998) Metabolic rates and energy content of deep-sea benthic
decapod crustaceans in the Western Mediterranean Sea. Deep-sea Res. Part I,
Oceanographic Research Papers, Vol. 45, pp. 1861–1880.
Feeding Habits of Both Deep-Water Red Shrimps, Aristaeomorpha foliacea
and Aristeus antennatus (Decapoda, Aristeidae) in the Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean)
129
Company, J.B., Maiorano, P., Tselepides, A., Politou, C.-Y., Plaiti, W., Rotllant, M. & Sardà,
F. (2004). Deep-sea decapod crustaceans in the western and central Mediterranean
Sea: preliminary aspects of species distribution, biomass and population structure.
Sci. Mar., Vol. 68 (Suppl. 3), pp. 73-86.
Dall, W. (1968). Food and feeding of some Australian penaeids shrimps. FAO Fisheries Report
Series, Vol. 57, No. 2, pp. 251-258.
Dall, W.B., Hill, J., Rothlisberg, P.C. & Sharples, D.J. (1990). The biology of the Penaeidae.
London, Academic Press, pp 489.
Dallagnolo R., Perez J.A.A., Pezzuto P.R. & Wahrlich R. (2009) The deep-sea shrimp fishery
off Brazil (Decapoda: Aristeidae) development and present status. Latin American
Journal of Aquatic Research, Vol. 37, pp. 327–346.
Danovaro, R., Company, J.B., Corinaldesi, C., D’Onghia, G., Galil, B., Gambi1, C., Gooday,
A.J., Lampadariou, N., Luna, G.M., Morigi, C., Olu, K., Polymenakou, P., RamirezLlodra, E., Sabbatini, A., Sardà F., Sibuet, M. & Tselepides, A. (2010). Deep-sea
Biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea: The Known, the Unknown, and the
Unknowable. PLoS ONE, Vol. 5, No. 8, 25 p.
Demestre, M. & Martín, P. (1993). Optimum exploitation of a demersal resource in the
Western Mediterranean, the fishery of the deep-water shrimp A. antennatus (Risso,
1816). Sci. Mar., Vol. 57, No 2, pp. 175-182.
Demestre, M. (1994). Fishery and population dynamics of A. antennatus on the Catalan coast
(NW Mediterranean). In Life cycles and fisheries of the deep-water red shrimps A. foliacea
and A. antennatus, Bianchini & Ragonese (Eds), N.T.R.-I.T.P.P., Spec. Publ., Vol.3,
pp. 19-20.
D'Onghia, G., Matarrese, A., Tursi, A. & Maiorano, P. (1994). Biology of A. antennatus and
Aristaeomorpha foliacea in the Ionian Sea (Central Mediterranean). In Life cycles and
fisheries of the deep-water red shrimps A. foliacea and A. antennatus, Bianchini, M. L.,
Ragonese, S. (Eds),, N.T.R.-I.T.P.P., Spec. Publ., 3, pp. 55-56.
D'Onghia, G., Maiorano, P., Matarrese, A. & Tursi, A. (1998). Distribution, biology, and
population dynamics of A. foliacea (Risso, 1827) (Decapoda, Natantia, Aristeidae) in
the North-Western Ionian Sea (Mediterranean Sea). Crustaceana, Vol. 71, No 5, pp.
18-544.
D’Onghia, G., Politou, C.Y., Bozzano, A., Lloris, D., Rotllant, G., Sion, L., Mastrototaro, F.
(2004). Deep-water fish assemblages in three areas of the Mediterranean Sea. Sci.
Mar., Vol. 68, No. 3, pp. 87–99.
D'Onghia, G., Capezzuto, F., Mytilineou, Ch., Maiorano, P., Kapiris, K., Carlucci, R., Sion, L.
& Tursi, A. (2005). Comparison of the population structure and dynamics of A.
antennatus (Risso, 1816) between exploited and unexploited areas in the
Mediterranean Sea. Fish. Res., 2005 Vol. 76, pp. 23-38.
Emig, C.C. & Geistdoerfer, P. (2004). The Mediterranean deep-sea fauna, historical evolution,
bathymetric variations and geographical changes. Carnets de Geologie/Notebooks
on Geology, Maintenon, Article 2004/01 (CG2004_A01_CCE-PG).
Fanelli, E. & Cartes, J.E. (2008). Spatio-temporal changes in gut contents and stable isotopes
in two deep Mediterranean pandalids: influence on the reproductive cycle. Mar
Ecol Prog Ser., Vol. 355, pp. 219-233.
130
Food Quality
Follesa, M. C., Cuccu, D., Murenu, M., Sabatini, A. & Cau, A. (1998). Aspetti riproduttivi
negli Aristeidi, A. foliacea (Risso, 1827) e A. antennatus (Risso, 1816), della classe di
eta 0+ e 1+. Biol. Mar. Medit., Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 232-238.
Follesa, M.C., Porcu, C., Gastoni, A., Mulas, A., Sabatini, A. & Cau, A. (2009). Community
structure of bathyal decapod crustaceans off South-Eastern Sardinian deep-waters
(Central-Western Mediterranean). Mar. Ecol., Vol. 30, pp. 188–199.
Fredj, G. & Laubier, L. (1985) The deep Mediterranean benthos. In: Mediterranean marine
ecosystems, Moraitou-Apostolopoulou & Kiortsis (Eds), pp. 109-146, Plenum Press,
New York.
Gartner, J.V.Jr., Crabtree R.E. & Sulak, K.J. (1997). Feeding at depth. In: Deep-sea fishes,
Randall & Farrell (Eds.), pp. 115-193, Academic Press, San Diego.
Ghidalia, W. & Bourgois, F. (1961). Influence of temperature and light on the distribution of
shrimps in medium and great depths. Stud. Gen. Fish. Coun. Médit., Vol. 16, pp. 1-49.
Gönülal, O., Özcan, T. & Katagan, T. (2010). A contribution on the distribution of the giant
red shrimp A. foliacea (Risso, 1827) along the Aegean sea and Mediterranean part of
Turkey. Rapp. Comm. int. Mer Médit., Vol. 39, p. 534.
Gracia, A., Vázquez-Bader, A.R., Lozano-Alvarez, E. & Briones-Fourzán, P. (2010) Deepwater shrimp (Crustacea:Penaeoidea) off the Yucatan peninsula (southern Gulf of
Mexico): a potential fishing resource. J. Shellfish Res. Vol. 29, pp. 37–43.
Gristina, M.F., Badalamenti, F., Barbera, G., D’Anna, G. & Pipitone C. (1992). Preliminary
data on the feeding habits of A. foliacea (Risso) in the Sicilian Channel. Oebalia
suppl. XVII, pp. 143-144.
Héroux, D. & Magnan, P. (1996) In situ determination of food daily ration in fish: review
and field evaluation. Environ. Biol. Fish., Vol. 46, 61–74.
Hiller-Adams, P. & Childress, J.J. (1983). Effects of feeding history and food deprivation on
respiration and excretion rates of the bathypelagic mysid Gnathophausia ingens. Biol
Bull, Vol. 165, pp. 182-196.
Hopkins, T.S. (1985). Physics of the sea. In: Key Environments: Western Mediterranean,
Margalef R. (Ed.), pp. 100-125, Pergamon Press, New York.
Hyslop, E.J. (1980) Stomach contents analysis – a review of methods and their application. J.
Fish Biol, Vol. 17, pp. 411–429.
Jumars, P.A. & Gallagher, E.D. (1982). Deep-sea community structure: three plays on the
benthic proscenium. In: The environment of the deep sea, Ernst, W.G. & J.G. Morin
(Eds.), Prentice Hall, Englewood Clfts.
Kallianiotis, A., Sophronidis, K., Vidoris, P., Tselepides, A. (2000). Demersal fish and
megafaunal assemblages on the Cretan continental shelf and slope (NE
Mediterranean), seasonal variation in species density, biomass and diversity. Prog.
Oceanogr., Vol. 46, pp. 429-455.
Kapiris, K., Thessalou-Legaki, M., Moraitou-Apostolopoulou, M., Petrakis, G. &
Papaconstantinou, C. (1999). Population characteristics and feeding parameters of
A. foliacea and Aristeus antennatus (Decapoda: Aristeidae) from the Ionian Sea
(Eastern Mediterranean). In: The Biodiversity crisis and crustacea. Crustacean Issues,
Vol. 12, pp. 177-191.
Kapiris, K. & Thessalou-Legaki, M. (2001a). Sex-related variability of rostrum morphometry
in A. antennatus from the Ionian Sea (Eastern Mediterranean). Hydrobiologia, Vol.
449, pp. 123-130.
Feeding Habits of Both Deep-Water Red Shrimps, Aristaeomorpha foliacea
and Aristeus antennatus (Decapoda, Aristeidae) in the Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean)
131
Kapiris, K. & Thessalou-Legaki, M. (2001b). Observations on the reproduction of A. foliacea
(Crustacea, Aristeidae) in the SE Ionian Sea. Rapp. Comm. Int. Mer. Médit., Vol. 36, p.
281.
Kapiris, K., Tursi, A., Mytilineou, Ch., Kavadas, S., D' Onghia, G. & Spedicato, M. T. (2001c).
Geographical and bathymetrical distribution of A. foliacea and A. antennatus
(Decapoda, Aristeidae) in the Greek Ionian Sea. Rapp. Comm. Int. Mer. Médit., Vol.
36, p. 280.
Kapiris, K., Moraitou-Apostolopoulou, M. & Papaconstantinou, C. (2002). The growth of
male secondary sexual characters in A. foliacea and A. antennatus (Decapoda,
Aristeidae) in the Greek Ionian Sea (Eastern Mediterranean). J Crustacean Biology,
Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 784-789.
Kapiris, K. (2004). Biology and fishery of the deep water shrimps A. foliacea (Risso, 1827) and
A. antennatus (Risso, 1816) (Decapoda: Dendrobranchiata). Ph. D. thesis, University
of Athens, 289 pp.
Kapiris, K. (2005). Morphometric structure and allometry profiles of the giant red shrimp A.
foliacea (Risso, 1827) in the eastern Mediterranean. J. Nat. Hist., Vol. 39, No. 17, pp.
1347-1357.
Κapiris K., Thessalou-Legaki M. (2006). Comparative fecundity and oocyte size of
Aristaeomorpha foliacea and Aristeus antennatus in the Greek Ionian Sea (E.
Mediterranean) (Decapoda: Aristeidae). Acta Zoologica, Vol. 87, pp. 239-245.
Kapiris, K., Kavvadas, S. (2009). Morphometric structure and allometry profiles of the red
shrimp A. antennatus (Risso, 1816) in the Eastern Mediterranean. Aquat. Ecol., Vol.
43, No. 4, pp. 1061-1071.
Kapiris, K. & Thessalou-Legaki, M. (2009). Comparative Reproduction Aspects of the Deepwater Shrimps A. foliacea and A. antennatus (Decapoda, Aristeidae) in the Greek
Ionian Sea (Eastern Mediterranean). Int. J. Zool., Vol. 2009, Article ID 979512, 9
pages, doi,10.1155/2009/979512.
Kapiris, Κ., Thessalou-Legaki, Μ., Petrakis, G. & Conides, A. (2010). Ontogenetic shifts and
temporal changes the trophic patterns of deep-sea red shrimp A. foliacea (Decapods,
Aristeidae) in the E. Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean). Mar. Ecol., Vol. 31, No. 2, 341-354.
Kapiris, Κ. & Thessalou-Legaki, Μ. (2011). Feeding ecology of the deep-sea red shrimp Aristeus
antennatus in the NE Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean). J. Sea Res., Vol. 65, pp. 151-160.
Klein, B., Roether, W., Manca, B.B., Bregant, D., Beitzel, V., Kovacevic, V. & Luchetta, A.
(1999). The large deep water transient in the Eastern Mediterranean. Deep-sea Res.,
Vol. 46, pp. 371-414.
Kuttyamma, V.J. (1974). Observations on the food and feeding of some penaeid prawns of
Cochin area. Journal J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. of India, Vol. 15, pp. 189–194.
Labropoulou, M. & Papaconstantinou, C. (2000). Community structure of deep-sea demersal
fish in the North Aegean Sea (northeastern Mediterranean). Hydrobiology, Vol. 440,
pp. 281–296.
Lagardère, J.P. (1977). Recherches sur la distribution verticale et sur l’alimentation des
crustacés décapodes benthiques de la pente continentale du Golfe de Gascogne.
Bull. Cnt. Etud. Rech. Scient. Biarritz, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 367-440.
Levi, D. & Vaccchi, M.J. (1988). Macroscopic scale for simple and rapid determination of
sexual maturity in A. foliacea (Risso, 1826) (Decapoda, Penaeidae). Crustacean
Biol,.Vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 532-538.
132
Food Quality
Lloret, J., Galzin, R., Gil de Sola, L., Souplet, A. & Demestre, M. (2005). Habitat related
differences in lipid reserves of some exploited fish species in the north-western
Mediterranean continental shelf. J Fish Biol., Vol. 67, pp. 51-65.
Macpherson, E. (1980). Regime alimentaire de Galeus melastomus Rafinesque, 1810,
Etmopterus spinax (L., 1758) et Scymnorhinchus licha (Bonnaterre, 1788) en
Mediterranee occidentale. Vie Milieu, Vol. 30, pp. 139-148.
Madurell, T. (2003). Feeding strategies and trophodynamic requirements of deep-sea
demersal fish in the Eastern Mediterranean. Ph. D. Thesis, Universitat de les Illes
Balears, pp. 1-251.
Madurell, T., Cartes, J.E. & Labropoulou, M. (2004). Changes in the structure of fish
assemblages in a bathyal site of the Ionian Sea (eastern Mediterranean). Fish. Res.,
Vol. 66, pp. 245–260
Madurell, T. & Cartes, J.E. (2005) Temporal changes in feeding habits and daily rations of
Hoplostethus mediterraneus, Cuvier, 1829 in the bathyal Ionian Sea (eastern
Mediterranean). Mar Biol., Vol. 146, pp. 951–962.
Madurell, T. & Cartes, J.E. (2006). Trophic relationships and food consumption of slope
dwelling macrourids from the bathyal Ionian Sea (eastern Mediterranean). Mar.
Biol., Vol. 148, pp. 1325–1338.
Matarrese, A., D'Onghia, G., De Florio, M., Panza, M. & Constantino, G. (1995). Recenti
acquisizioni sulla distribuzione batimetrica di A. foliacea ed A. antennatus
(Crustacea, Decapoda) nel Mar Ionio. Biol. Mar. Medit., Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 299-300.
Matarrese, A., D'Onghia, G., Tursi, A. & Maiorano, P. (1997). Vulnerabilità e resilienza di
Aristeomorpha foliacea (Risso, 1816) and A. antennatus (Risso, 1816) (Crostacei,
Decapodi) nel Mar Ionio. SITE Atti, Vol. 18, pp. 535-538.
Mauchline, J. & Gordon, J.D.M. (1984). Diets and bathymetric distributions of the macrurid fish
of the Rockall Trough, northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Mar. Biol., Vol. 81, pp. 107-121.
Mauchline, J. & Gordon, J.D.M. (1986). Foraging strategies of deep-sea fish. Fish Biol., Vol.
26, pp. 527-535.
Maurin, C. & Carries, C. (1968). Note préliminaire sur l’alimentation des Crevettes
profondes. Rapp. Comm. Int. Mer Médit., Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 155-156.
Maynou, F. & Cartes, J. (1997). Field estimation of daily ratio in deep-sea shrimp Aristeus
antennatus (Crustacea: Decapoda) in the Western Mediterranean. Mar. Ecol. Prog.
Ser., Vol. 153, pp. 191-196.
Maynou, F. & Cartes, J. (1998). Daily ration estimates and comparative study of food
consumption in nine species of deep-water decapod crustaceans of the NW
Mediterranean. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., Vol. 171, pp. 221-231.
Maynou, F. & Cartes, J.E. (2000). Community structure of bathyal decapod crustacean
assemblages off the Balearic Islands (south-western Mediterranean). J. Mar. Biol.
Assoc. UK, Vol. 80, pp. 789-798.
Maynou, F. (2008). Environmental causes of the fluctuations of blue-red shrimp (Aristeus
antennatus) landings in the Catalan Sea. J Marine Syst., Vol. 71, pp. 294-302.
Monniot, C. & Monniot, F. (1990). Revision of the class Sorberacea (benthic tunicates) with
descriptions of seven new species. Zool. J. Linn. Soc., Vol. 99, pp. 239-290.
Moriarty, D.J.W. & Barclay, M.C. (1981). Carbon and nitrogen content of food and the
assimilation efficiencies of penaeid prawns in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Aust J Mar
Fresh Res, Vol. 32, pp. 245-251.
Feeding Habits of Both Deep-Water Red Shrimps, Aristaeomorpha foliacea
and Aristeus antennatus (Decapoda, Aristeidae) in the Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean)
133
Mura, M., Orru, F. & Cau, A. (1997). Osservazioni sull' accrescimento di individui fase preriproduttiva di A. antennatus e A. foliacea. Biol. Mar. Medit., Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 254-261.
Mura, M., Saba, S. & Cau, A. (1998). Feeding habits of demersal aristeid. Anim. Biol., Vol. 7,
pp. 3-10.
Mytilineou, Ch., Kavadas S., Politou C.-Y., Kapiris K., Tursi A. & Maiorano P. (2006). Catch
composition in red shrimp (A. foliacea and A. antennatus) grounds in the eastern
Ionian Sea. Hydrobiologia, Vol. 557, pp. 155-160.
Nouar, A. (2001) Rapp. Bio-écologie d’A. antennatus (Risso, 1816) et de Parapenaeus longirostris
(Lucas, 1846) des côtes algériennes. Comm. Int. Mer. Médit., Vol. 36, p. 304.
Orsi Relini, L. & Semeria, M. (1983). Ooogenesis and fecundity in bathyal penaeid prawns,
A. antennatus and A. foliacea. Rapp. Verb. Reun., CIESM, Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 281-284.
Orsi Relini, L. & Relini, G. (1998). Seventeen instars of adult life in female A. antennatus
(Crustacea, Decapoda, Aristeidae). A new interpretation of life span and growth. J.
Nat. Hist., Vol. 32, pp. 719-1734.
Papaconstantinou, C. & Kapiris, K. (2001). Distribution and population structure of the red
shrimp (Aristeus antennatus) on an unexploited fishing ground in the Greek Ionian
Sea. Aquat. Living Resources, Vol. 14, No. 5, pp. 303-312.
Papaconstantinou, C. & Kapiris, K. (2003) The biology of the giant red shrimp (A. foliacea) at
an unexploited fishing ground in the Greek Ionian Sea. Fish. Res., Vol. 62, pp. 37-51.
Paramo, J. & Ulrich, S.P. (2011). Deep-sea shrimps A. foliacea and Pleoticus robustus
(Crustacea: Penaeoidea) in the Colombian Caribbean Sea as a new potential fishing
resource. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. UK, pp. 1-8, doi:10.1017/S0025315411001202.
Pérez Farfante, I. & Kensley, B. (1997). Penaeoid and sergestoid shrimps and prawns of the
world. Keys and diagnoses for the families and genera. Mém. Mus. Nat. Hist. Nat.,
Vol. 175, pp. 1-233.
Politou, C.-Y., Kavadas, S., Mytilineou, Ch., Tursi, A., Lembo, G. & Carlucci, R.J. (2003).
Fisheries resources in the deep waters of the Eastern Mediterranean (Greek Ionian
Sea). Northw. Atl. Fish. Sci., Vol. 31, pp. 35-46.
Politou, C.-Y., Kapiris, K., Maiorano, P., Capezzuto, F. & Dokos, J. (2004). Deep-Sea
Mediterranean biology, the case of A. foliacea (Risso, 1827) (Crustacea, Decapoda,
Aristeidae). Sci. Mar., Vol. 68 (Suppl. 3), pp. 117-127.
Politou, C-Y., Maiorano, P., D'Onghia, G. & Mytilineou, Ch. (2005). Deep-water decapod
crustacean fauna of the Eastern Ionian Sea. Belg. J. Zool. , Vol. 135, No. 2, pp. 235-241.
Polunin, N.V.C., Morales-Nin, B., Herod, W., Cartes, J.E., Pinnegar, J.K. & Moranta, J. (2001).
Feeding relationships in Mediterranean bathyal assemblages elucidated by carbon
and nitrogen stable-isotope data. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., Vol. 220, pp. 13–23.
Puig, P., Company, J.B., Sardà, F. & Palanques, A. (2001). Responses of deep-water shrimp
populations to the presence of intermediate nepheloid layers on continental
margins. Deep-Sea Res., Vol. 48, pp. 2195-2207.
Ragonese, S. (1995). Geographical distribution of A. foliacea (Crustacea, Aristeidae) in the
Sicilian Channel (Mediterranean Sea). ICES Mar. Sci. Symp., pp. 183-188.
Ragonese, S., Bianchini, M.L. & Gallucci, V.F. (1994a). Growth and mortality of the red
shrimp A. foliacea in the Sicilian Channel (Mediterranean Sea). Crustaceana, Vol. 67,
pp. 348-361.
Ragonese, S., Bianchini, M.L., Di Stefano, L., Campagnuolo, S. & Bertolino, F. (1994b). A.
antennatus in the Sicilian Channel In Life cycles and fisheries of the deep-water red
134
Food Quality
shrimps A. foliacea and A. antennatus, Bianchini & Ragonese, (Eds.), N.T.R.-I.T.P.P.,
Spec. Publ., Vol. 3, p. 44.
Ramirez-Llodra, E., Company, J. B., Sardà F. & Rotllant, G. (2009). Megabenthic diversity
patterns and community structure of the Blanes submarine canyon and adjacent
slope in the Northwestern Mediterranean, A human overprint? Mar. Ecol., pp. 1-16.
Randall, D.J. & Farrell, A.P. (Eds.). (1997). Deep-sea fishes. Academic Press, N.Y.
Relini Orsi, L. & Wurtz, M. (1977). Aspetti della rete trofica batiale riguardanti Aristeus
antennatus. Atti. IX Congr. Naz. Soc. Ital. Biol. Mar., pp. 389-398.
Relini, G., Orsi Relini, L. (1987). The decline of red shrimps stocks in the Gulf of Genoa. Inv.
Pesq. 1987, Vol. 51(Suppl. 1), pp. 245-260.
Relini, M., Maiorano, P., D'Onghia, G., Orsi Relini, L., Tursi, A. & Panza, M. (2000). A pilot
experiment of tagging the deep shrimp A. antennatus (Risso, 1816). Sci. Mar., Vol.
64, No. 3, pp. 357-361.
Ruffo, S. (1998). The Amphipoda of the Mediterranean. Part 4. Mém. Inst. Océanog. Monaco,
Vol. 13, pp. 1-959.
Sardà, F. & Cartes, J.E. (1993). Distribution abundance and selected biological aspects of A.
antennatus in deep-water habitats in NW Mediterranean. B.I.O.S., Vol. 1, No 1, pp.
59-73.
Sardà, F., Cartes, J.E. & Company, J.B. (1994a). Spatio-temporal variations in megabenthos
abundance in three different habitats of the Catalan deep-sea (Western
Mediterranean). Mar. Biol., Vol. 120, pp. 211-219.
Sardà, F. & Cartes, J.E. (1994b). Status of the qualitative aspects in A. antennatus fisheries in
the North Western Mediterranean. In: Life cycles and fisheries of the deep-water red
shrimps A. foliacea and A. antennatus, Bianchini, M.L., Ragonese, S. (Eds.), N.T.R.I.T.P.P., Spec. Publ., 3, p. 23-24.
Sardà, F. & Cartes, J.E. (1997). Morphological features and ecological aspects of early
juvenile specimens of the aristeid shrimp A. antennatus (Risso, 1816). Mar. Freshw.
Res., Vol. 48, pp. 73-77.
Sardà, F., Maynou, F. & Talló, L. (1998). Seasonal and spatial mobility patterns of rose
shrimp (A. antennatus Risso, 1816) in the western Mediterranean, results of a longterm study. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. Vol. 159, pp. 133-141.
Sardà, F., Company, J.B. & Maynou, F. (2003). Deep-sea shrimp A. antennatus Risso, 1816 in the
Catalan sea, a review and perspectives. J. Northw. Atl. Fish. Sci., Vol. 31, pp. 127-136.
Sardà, F., Calafat, A., Mar Flexas, M, Tselepides, A., Canals, M., Espino, M. & Tursi, A. (2004).
An introduction to Mediterranean deep-sea biology, Sci. Mar., Vol. 68, pp. 7-38.
Stefanescu, C., Morales-Nin, B. & Massutí, E. (1994). Fish assemblages on the slope in the
Catalan Sea (western Mediterranean): influence of a submarine canyon. J. Mar. Biol.
Assoc. UK., Vol. 74, pp. 499–512.
Tselepides, A. & Eleftheriou, A. (1992). South Aegean (eastern Mediterranean) continental
slope benthos: macroinfaunal-environmental relationships. In: Deep-sea Food Chains
and the Global Carbon Cycle, Rowe, G.T. & Pariente, V. (Eds.), pp. 139–156, Kluwer
Academic Publisher, Dordrecht.
Tyler, P.A. & Zibrowius, H. (1992). Submersible observations of the invertebrate fauna on
the continental slope southwest of Ireland. Oceanol. Acta, Vol. 15, pp. 211-226.
Williams, A.B. (1955). A contribution to the life histories of commercial shrimps (Penaeidae)
in North Carolina. Bull. Mar. Sci. of the Gulf and Caribbean, Vol. 5, pp. 116-146.