Meeting Abstract

80.5  Friday, Jan. 7  Feeding kinematics in batoids: comparing species with and without cephalic lobes MULVANY, SM*; MOTTA, PJ; Univ. of S Florida; Univ. of S Florida smulvany@mail.usf.edu

Many benthic, undulatory batoids utilize their entire body to pin and manipulate prey during feeding. The general feeding behavior consists of forming a tent around the prey with their bodies, trapping and repositioning the prey between the substrate and their body. Once near the mouth, suction and biting are used to ingest prey. Previous work has shown that benthic batoids are able to modulate their feeding behavior with different prey types, though the general feeding behavior is conserved. Some derived, oscillatory batoids possess cephalic lobes, which are used in prey detection, excavation and manipulation. The feeding kinematics of species possessing cephalic lobes have not been examined, nor the ability of these species to modulate their feeding behavior. This study compares the feeding kinematics of five batoid species using elusive and non-elusive prey and quantifies the use of the cephalic lobes and their homologous structures during feeding. The batoids lacking cephalic lobes used are: Raja eglanteria, Urobatis jamaicensis and Dasyatis sabina and batoids possessing cephalic lobes are: Aetobatus narinari and Rhinoptera bonasus. A series of kinematic variables relating to prey capture and manipulation were quantified. Preliminary results indicate that all species modulate feeding behavior with differing prey types. The tenting and repositioning behaviors are faster in species with cephalic lobes, though the bite duration for all species is consistent. Prey capture success was high for all species. While benthic, undulatory species utilize their entire bodies to capture and manipulate prey, more pelagic, oscillatory species localize prey capture to the head region using the cephalic lobes. The emergence of these novel cephalic lobes in some oscillatory species may provide a unique solution to maintaining the ability to feed efficiently while employing a different locomotor strategy.