UC Davis

Specimens of the larval crustacean genus Cerataspis were found during analysis of the stomach contents of pelagic fishes from the North Atlantic; 87% of the specimens collected were C. monstrosa, 13% C. petiti. Surface-feeding skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis, yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares, blackfin funa T. atlanticus and dolphin Coryphaena hippurus preyed upon the last 3 mysis stages of Cerataspis. Yellowfin and skipjack tunas accounted for 95% of the Cerataspis collected. Fishes feeding around Sargassum are more likely to feed on Cerataspis as evidenced by co-occurrence of the crustaceans and algae in the stomachs. Cerataspis are opportunistically preyed upon when encountered. C. petiti have a nearly circumglobal distribution between 40oN and 40oS. -from Authors