Natural diet and feeding habits of the royal spiny lobster, Panulirus regius de Brito Capello 1894 in the Gulf of Guinea off Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the diet and feeding habits of this species from the eastern coast of Côte d’Ivoire. The specimens were sampled from commercial catches between September 2019 and August 2020. The diet analysis has concerned the stomach of 64 males and 96 females sampled in cold seasons and 72 males and 99 females during the warm seasons. Of the total number of examined stomachs (331), 272 were empty (Coefficient of vacuity: Cv = 82%). This food index (Cv) was higher in male individuals (86.03%) than in female specimens (79.49%). The diet this species consisted mainly of fish, crustaceans, molluscs and detritus (DE). Based on the composition of its diet, the palinurid spiny lobster, P. regius could be considered to be an omnivorous species with a preference for animal materials and showed a specialist feeding strategy.