NATURAL DIET OF THE PINK SPINY LOBSTER, PALINURUS MAURITANICUS (MALACOSTRACA, DECAPODA, PALINURIDAE), FROM THE ALGERIAN WEST COAST

The pink spiny lobster, Palinurus mauritanicus Gruvel, 1911 is a target species of commercial fisheries along the Algerian west coast. To better understand the natural diet of a population of P. mauritanicus, a study was conducted between June 2021 and May 2022, which aimed to compare the consumed food items based on sex, seasonality, and body size. This approach involved analysing stomach contents and determining ingested prey, with seasonal sampling conducted at three main fishing ports (Beni Saf, Bouzedjar and Oran). The results showed that fish (in general "Pisces", but only Osteichthyes retrieved) (46.42%), Crustacea (34.28%), Annelida Polychaeta (23.33%), and Mollusca (18.57%) were the major components of the lobster's diet. Echinodermata (8.57%), Porifera (2.38%) and Bryozoa (0.95%) were classified as minor groups. We also showed that sex and season affected the prey items consumed by the lobster. Based on the vacuity index, the pink spiny lobster was found to be feeding intensively in spring and decreasingly so in summer, autumn and winter. These results indicate that the pink spiny lobster is to be characterized as an omnivorous generalist and opportunist.