Spiny lobster Panulirus argus (Decapoda: Palinuridae) trophic spectrum update using diet descriptors and indices applied for first time in Cuba

Differences and similarities between spiny lobster’ sexes diet could result from multifactorial environmental influence. We evaluated the trophic spectrum for Panulirus argus , estimated lobster’s selectivity, and corroborated the hypothesis that lobster’ sexes diet is similar between subzones with different benthic community in two fishing subzones of the gulf of Batabano, Cuba. Stomach contents of 52 lobsters from Diego Pérez (DP), and 68 from Aguardiente (AA), were analyzed. Frequency of occurrence (FO), gravimetric (G), and relative importance (IIR) indices were calculated for each food category. Ellenberg Similarity (ISe), Morisita, and Ivlev Selectivity (E) indices were also applied. Different diet descriptors were also related to benthic community attributes also used to compare between subzones and sexes. Trophic spectrum for P. argus consisted of gastropods, bivalves, polyplacophores, sea urchins, stomatopods, brachyurans, anomurans, polychaetes, ophiuroids, sponges, foraminifera, hydrozoans, fish, and plant matter. The E index showed a P. argus positive selectivity for gastropods Costoanachis sp ., Diodora sp ., Lucapina sp ., Rissoina sp ., Fasciolaria tulipa , and Gibberula fluctuata , the bivalves Arcopsis sp ., Barbatia domingensis, Antillipecten antillarum , and Codakia orbicularis , and crustaceans of the Order Stomatopoda. Selectivity was highest but negative for Pinctada imbricata , Tucetona pectinata , Chione sp ., and anomurans. Diet between sexes was similar in DP (ISe = 47.1%) and the same in AA (ISe = 97.6%), both with high trophic level overlap. Lobster’s diet descriptors and the diet for each sex were similar (medium level) between subzones, while the attributes of the benthic community were different. Similarities between diets for each sex were kept despite differences in benthic community-specific composition.