Natural diets in young abalone, Haliotis fulgens and H. corrugata (Mollusca; Gasteropoda) in Bahia Tortutas, B.C.S., Mexico

Abstract

Diet of juvenile (10Ð100 mm in length) abalone (Haliotis fulgens and H. corrugata) in their natural environment was examined in specimens collected at Bahía Tortugas, Baja California Sur. Nine macroalgae species, one polychaete worm, one amphipod, one hydrozoan, and one sea grass were identified. A high percentage of stomachs analyzed were empty. In those with contents, Phyllospadix torreyi (Anthophyta), Laurencia sp., Gelidiales (Rhodophyta), and Phaeophyta (Dictyotales) were the most common items. Most specimens with macroalgal material came from depths in which H. fulgens (shallow) and H. corrugata (>6 m) are more abundant. Benthic diatoms were almost absent from ingested material.