Feeding habits of the small-spotted catshark Scyliorhinus canicula (L., 1758) in the Central Mediterranean

Scyliorhinus canicula collected from 45 stations during the MEDITS annual bottom trawl survey had a Total Length range of 14-52 cm; males were more abundant than females. Of 532 stomachs sampled, 74.4% had identifiable prey material that indicated opportunistic feeding on a wide range of macrobenthic fauna. Teleosts and crustaceans were the most important prey groups (58.7 %/w and 19.3 %/w respectively). Cannibalism was also observed. There were significant differences in diet composition between the sexes and between different size classes for males and females combined.

Gravino F., Dimech M. & Schembri P.J. (2010). Feeding habits of the small-spotted catshark Scyliorhinus canicula (L., 1758) in the Central Mediterranean. Rapport du Congrès de la Commission Internationale pour l'Exploration Scientifique de la Mer Méditerranée 39: 538.