Age, growth and feeding of the common stingray (Dasyatis pastinaca, L., 1758) in the Cilician coastal basin, northeastern Mediterranean Sea


YELDAN H., AVŞAR D., MANAŞIRLI M.

JOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY, vol.25, pp.98-102, 2009 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

Abstract

P>Growth and feeding of stingray (Dasyatis pastinaca) were studied using 346 specimens from the Cilician Basin coastal area (northeastern Mediterranean). Age classes between 0 to XII were found. The total length of all specimens ranged from 14.6 to 100.9 cm, and total weight was between 22.5 and 6800 g. Total length (TL)-weight (W) and disc width (DW)-weight (W) relationships were W = 0.0033*L-3.1429 and W = 0.0039*DW3.4914, respectively. The age data, derived from central readings, were used to estimate the von Bertalanffy length and weight growth parameters. The results were L-infinity = 294.9 cm, W-infinity = 198690.1 g, K = 0.029 year(-1); t(0) = -2.2 year. The D. pastinaca diet was composed mainly of crustaceans.