Distinctive features of the biology of the black scorpionfish Scorpaena porcus Linnaeus from the coastal waters of the southeastern and southwestern parts of Crimea
N. S. KUZMINOVA1, E. B. MELNIKOVA2, T. N. PETROVA3, V. A. TIMOFEEV1, V. I. MALTSEV3, O. A. MIRONOV4
1A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of RAS, Sevastopol, Russia
2Institute of Natural and Technical Systems, Sevastopol, Russia
3A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of RAS, T. I. Vyazemsky Karadag Scientific Station - Natural Reserve of RAS, Feodosia, Russia
4A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of RAS, T. I. Vyazemsky Karadag Scientific Station - Natural Reserve of RAS, Sevastopol, Russia
Keywords: black scorpion fish, growth, food spectrum, age, Crimea
Abstract
The paper presents information on the population parameters of black scorpionfish from different coastal regions of Crimea, its growth rate, as well as its nutritional spectrum. The modern food supply of scorpion fish from the south-eastern part differs from that in 1940-1950: in the Sevastopol region, scorpion fish mainly consume fish, and in the waters near Feodosia - crustaceans. The main changes in food items depending on the age of the Scorpaena porcus are associated with the components - decapods or fish. In the southeastern part of Crimea, small fish species predominate in the diet of scorpion fish, which affected the higher growth rate of the studied object. At the age of 6 years and older, the S.porcus in these waters consumes mainly decapods. In Sevastopol waters, the diet does not change significantly depending on age, so the fish component in the stomach of scorpion fish of older age groups allows it to grow faster. However, no significant differences in the growth rate of fish from the two areas were obtained. The data presented on the physical and chemical parameters of water, as well as the distribution of bottom macrophyte in the two main study areas, demonstrate small differences in the quality of the habitat and are satisfactory for the bottom predator studied. The average age of the scorpion fish from Karadag was 5.9 years, the most numerous age group was 4 years old, the average age of individuals from the water of Sevastopol area was 3.72 years, the most numerous age group was 3 years old. In the Sevastopol region, scorpion fish up to 5 years old are larger than in the Feodosia region, and from 6 years old - vice versa. Despite this, in most cases the condition factor of fish from the waters of southeastern Crimea was higher.
|
