Ecology Summary - Nebrius ferrugineus

Language:

Main Ref.	Compagno, L.J.V., 1984
Remarks	Prefers sheltered areas in crevices and caves on reefs but often occurs in more exposed areas in a depression or crevice. Mainly nocturnal, resting during the day. Gregarious and form resting aggregations of two to half-dozen or more in shelters, and are often seen piled across or on top of one another. It uses its large pharynx as a powerful suction pump to rapidly inhale in reef organisms that may be out of reach of its teeth. However, they may reverse this sucking action and blast streams of water out of their mouths into the faces of their captors, making grunting sounds between streams.

Main Ref.

Compagno, L.J.V., 1984

Remarks

Prefers sheltered areas in crevices and caves on reefs but often occurs in more exposed areas in a depression or crevice. Mainly nocturnal, resting during the day. Gregarious and form resting aggregations of two to half-dozen or more in shelters, and are often seen piled across or on top of one another. It uses its large pharynx as a powerful suction pump to rapidly inhale in reef organisms that may be out of reach of its teeth. However, they may reverse this sucking action and blast streams of water out of their mouths into the faces of their captors, making grunting sounds between streams.

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Nebrius ferrugineus may be found.

Habitat

Substrate	Benthic; Soft Bottom: sand;: rocky;
Substrate Ref.
Special habitats	Coral Reefs;
Special habitats Ref.

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

Feeding

Feeding type	mainly animals (troph. 2.8 and up)
Feeding type Ref.	Cortés, E., 1999
Feeding habit	hunting macrofauna (predator)
Feeding habit Ref.	Compagno, L.J.V., 1984

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	Original sample		Unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition	4.10	0.39	4.01	0.47	Troph of juv./adults from 1 study.
From individual food items	3.96	0.56			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.	Cortés, E., 1999

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