Penchaszadeh and Lera (1983) found in their study of the diet of three species
of asteroids of the genus Luidia, that L. barimae is mainly a predator of ophiuroids
(85.8 % of its diet); while L. senegalensis feeds mainly on bivalves (49.1 %) and
L. clathrata on ophiuroids (35.3 %) and gastropods (24.4 %). Penchaszadeh and
Molinet (1983) evaluated the diet of the asteroid Tethyaster vestitus, and found
that it is a specialist predator of Astropecten spp. (which represented 55.8 % of the
total number of prey items). Other prey items of T. vestitus were L. clathrata and
ophiuroids (0.8 and 3.8 % of the diet, respectively). Bitter et al. (1980) studied the
trophic interactions between two asteroids (A. riensis and T. vestitus), and found
that echinoderms are the most important group in the diet of T. vestitus, with
asteroids representing 55.74 % of its diet and the remaining groups 44.20 %.
Among the latter, echinoids represented 12.30 %, crinoids 27.87 %, holothuroids
1.64 % and ophiuroids 2.4 % of its diet. The diet of A. brasiliensis riensis, was
composed of gastropods (67.8 %), pelecypods (20 %), crustaceans (4.71 %) and
scaphopods (2.23 %). A. riensis is an important element within the trophic
structure of the community studied, representing the second and third level of
consumers while T. vestitus represents the fourth level.
In Mochima Bay, Sucre state, the asteroid Oreaster reticulatus behaves mainly
as a predator of the sea urchin L. variegatus. However, some observations suggest
that it could be an opportunistic microphage, with densities between 0.0075 and
0.2 ind m
-2 (Martín et al. 2001). The diet of A. marginatus at the mouth of the
Orinoco River and the Gulf of Paria was mainly bivalve mollusks and gastropods
(Ortega et al. 2011).
In the Caribbean Sea, many echinoids feed exclusively upon T. testudinum and
its epibionts (Lawrence et al. 2007). In La Tortuga Island, even though data on
density of T. ventricosus are not known, its stomach contents consisted primarily
of leaves of T. testudinum with epibionts although the macroalgae Acanthophora
spicifera, Hypnea cornuta and Cladophora spp. were found, showing their possible importance on the abundance and distribution of this species (Barrios and
Reyes 2009). These authors also indicate that the presence of calcareous algae like
Hydrolithon sp. and Jania sp. in the diet of T. ventricosus showed that they could
be important items in the calcium metabolism associated with formation of the
test. On the other hand, Montealegre and Gómez (1999) determined the stomach
contents of L. variegatus at Margarita Island, observing mainly remnants of
T. testudinum and smaller amounts of the macroalgae Ulva lactuca and diatoms.
With respect to holothuroids, Sambrano et al. (1990) characterized the ingested
items of Isostichopus badionotus and Holothuria mexicana from two types of
substrate (with calcareous and terrigenous origins) in T. testudinum meadows of
the western region of Venezuela. They found that the mean size of ingested species
differs significantly between these two holothurian species for both types of
substrate. The analyses of the stomach contents of Duasmodactyla seguroensis,
Euthyonacta solida, Ocnus pygmaeus, O. surinamensis, O. suspectus, Thyonella
sabanillaenis and Stolus cognatus from the northeastern region and some oceanic
islands, showed that the diet of holothuroids of the Order Dendrochirotida include:
planktonic and benthic diatoms, dinoflagellates and copepods as well as
242
C. Lodeiros et al.
of asteroids of the genus Luidia, that L. barimae is mainly a predator of ophiuroids
(85.8 % of its diet); while L. senegalensis feeds mainly on bivalves (49.1 %) and
L. clathrata on ophiuroids (35.3 %) and gastropods (24.4 %). Penchaszadeh and
Molinet (1983) evaluated the diet of the asteroid Tethyaster vestitus, and found
that it is a specialist predator of Astropecten spp. (which represented 55.8 % of the
total number of prey items). Other prey items of T. vestitus were L. clathrata and
ophiuroids (0.8 and 3.8 % of the diet, respectively). Bitter et al. (1980) studied the
trophic interactions between two asteroids (A. riensis and T. vestitus), and found
that echinoderms are the most important group in the diet of T. vestitus, with
asteroids representing 55.74 % of its diet and the remaining groups 44.20 %.
Among the latter, echinoids represented 12.30 %, crinoids 27.87 %, holothuroids
1.64 % and ophiuroids 2.4 % of its diet. The diet of A. brasiliensis riensis, was
composed of gastropods (67.8 %), pelecypods (20 %), crustaceans (4.71 %) and
scaphopods (2.23 %). A. riensis is an important element within the trophic
structure of the community studied, representing the second and third level of
consumers while T. vestitus represents the fourth level.
In Mochima Bay, Sucre state, the asteroid Oreaster reticulatus behaves mainly
as a predator of the sea urchin L. variegatus. However, some observations suggest
that it could be an opportunistic microphage, with densities between 0.0075 and
0.2 ind m
-2 (Martín et al. 2001). The diet of A. marginatus at the mouth of the
Orinoco River and the Gulf of Paria was mainly bivalve mollusks and gastropods
(Ortega et al. 2011).
In the Caribbean Sea, many echinoids feed exclusively upon T. testudinum and
its epibionts (Lawrence et al. 2007). In La Tortuga Island, even though data on
density of T. ventricosus are not known, its stomach contents consisted primarily
of leaves of T. testudinum with epibionts although the macroalgae Acanthophora
spicifera, Hypnea cornuta and Cladophora spp. were found, showing their possible importance on the abundance and distribution of this species (Barrios and
Reyes 2009). These authors also indicate that the presence of calcareous algae like
Hydrolithon sp. and Jania sp. in the diet of T. ventricosus showed that they could
be important items in the calcium metabolism associated with formation of the
test. On the other hand, Montealegre and Gómez (1999) determined the stomach
contents of L. variegatus at Margarita Island, observing mainly remnants of
T. testudinum and smaller amounts of the macroalgae Ulva lactuca and diatoms.
With respect to holothuroids, Sambrano et al. (1990) characterized the ingested
items of Isostichopus badionotus and Holothuria mexicana from two types of
substrate (with calcareous and terrigenous origins) in T. testudinum meadows of
the western region of Venezuela. They found that the mean size of ingested species
differs significantly between these two holothurian species for both types of
substrate. The analyses of the stomach contents of Duasmodactyla seguroensis,
Euthyonacta solida, Ocnus pygmaeus, O. surinamensis, O. suspectus, Thyonella
sabanillaenis and Stolus cognatus from the northeastern region and some oceanic
islands, showed that the diet of holothuroids of the Order Dendrochirotida include:
planktonic and benthic diatoms, dinoflagellates and copepods as well as
242
C. Lodeiros et al.