Preliminary study on the feeding by Loligo gahi (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae)

Abstract

The stomach contents of 13 specimens of Loligo gahi, captured off the Falkland Islands, were examined. The squids had all fed upon one species of crustacean belonging to the genus Euphausia. The weight of the stomach contents was between 4.5 and 8.0% of the total wet body weight. Several stomachs contained eyes from as many 96 to 244 individuals of this crustacean. The results shows that this species has a type and food intake similar to other loliginids and ommastrephids from temperate and boreal waters. Loligo gahi is fished in considerable quantity from these waters and its feeding habits indicate that it has an important influence on the krill, playing an important role in the trophic web of the ecosystem in these waters.