Feeding strategy and trophic ontogeny in Scorpaena maderensis (Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae) from the Azores, NE Atlantic by Leonardo F. Machado (1), donzília NuNes (2), Madail ÁviLa (3), Rui P. vieiRa (4) & João P. BaRReiRos * (5) Cybium 2014, 38(3): 163-171. (1) universidade Federal do espírito santo, depto. ciências agrárias e Biológicas-dcaB/ceuNes, Rodovia BR 101 Norte, Km 60, Bairro Litorâneo, 29932-540, são Mateus, es, Brazil. [dusky.grouper@gmail.com] (2) Marsol, empresa Marítimo Turística. canada da cruz dourada, 61 s. Mateus 9700-570 angra do heroísmo, Portugal. [donzilianunes@portugalmail.com] (3) câmara Municipal da Praia da vitória, Praça Francisco ornelas da câmara, 9760-851 Praia da vitória, Portugal. [madailavila@gmail.com] (4) departamento de Biologia & cesaM, universidade de aveiro, campus universitário de santiago, 3810-193 aveiro, Portugal. Present address: ocean and earth science, National oceanography centre, southampton, european Way, southampton. so14 3Zh, uK. [rpvieira@ua.pt] (5) azorean Biodiversity Group (ciTa-a) and Platform for enhancing ecological Research & sustainability (PeeRs), universidade dos açores, dep. ciências agrárias, 9700-042 angra do heroísmo, Portugal. * corresponding author [joaopedro@uac.pt] stomach content analyses are a fun- damental tool to examine feeding habits and to deine the role of a par- ticular ish species in the food chain (Barreiros and santos, 1998). scorpaenidae are carnivorous fish that usually live in solitary on hard bottom zones. They are widely known as “scorpion” ish due to the well-developed venom glands present in the dorsal, anal and pelvic fins (Poss and eschmeyer, 2002; Nelson, 2006; vieira and Barreiros, 2010). Beyond poison defences, they have large heads with numerous spines and a terminal and strongly protractile mouth used to capture prey by suction, a characteristic common to many teleost ishes (hureau and Litvinenko, 1986; Gerking, 1994). around the azores, 11 species of scorpaenidae are found, six of those belonging to the genus Scorpaena (san- tos et al., 1997). The species studied, Scorpaena maderen- sis valenciennes, 1833, is easily distinguished from conge- nerics by the lack of an occipital furrow. S. maderensis is a widespread species in the azores where individuals have been recorded up to 196 mm total length (azevedo, 1997). it is also common in Madeira and canary islands (doo- ley et al., 1985; Patzner et al., 1992; Patzner and santos, 1993; Brito et al., 2002), however less common in Portugal, Morocco (Boutière, 1958), adriatic and in the whole Medi- terranean basin (Tortonese and hureau, 1979). S. maderen- sis is an epibenthic species inhabiting rocky bottom coastal areas down to ca. 40 m depth (hureau and Litvinenko, 1986; Patzner et al., 1992; saldanha, 1995). despite their solitary habits, it is not uncommon to ind many individuals relative- ly close to each other (Patzner and santos, 1993). The feeding habits of S. maderensis are largely unknown, although some authors refer to a diet based on crustaceans and small ish (e.g. Hureau and Litvinenko, 1986; Azevedo, 1997; silva, 1997; La Mesa et al., 2007). This study was undertaken to detail the feeding ecology of S. maderensis, including a complete diet description, analyses of feeding strategy and ontogenic shifts. Abstract. – Feeding habits of Scorpaena maderensis valenciennes, 1833 from the azores archipelago were investigated. The stomach contents of 245 specimens, collected between august 1997 and July 1999, were ana- lysed. Decapod crustaceans and teleost ishes constitute the main food items, revealing a high level of specializa- tion by S. maderensis. ontogenic shifts and seasonal changes in the diet composition were observed, unveiling the adaptability and opportunistic predatory behaviour of this scorpaenid. Résumé. – stratégie alimentaire et ontogénie trophique de Scorpaena maderensis (scorpaeniformes: scorpaeni- dae) des açores, atlantique Ne. Les habitudes alimentaires de Scorpaena maderensis valenciennes, 1833 de l’archipel des açores ont été étudiées. Les contenus stomacaux de 245 spécimens, récoltés entre août 1997 et juillet 1999, ont été analysés. Les crustacés décapodes et les téléostéens sont les principales proies de S. maderensis, indiquant un fort degré de spécialisation chez cette espèce. des changements ontogénétiques et saisonniers de la composition du régime alimentaire révèlent l’adaptabilité et le comportement prédateur opportuniste de ce scorpaenidé. © SFI Received: 8 Nov. 2013 Accepted: 11 Jul.. 2014 Editor: E. Dufour Key words scorpaenidae Scorpaena maderensis aNe azores Trophic chains Feeding behaviour