On feeding of deep-sea crabs on the continental slope of northwestern Kamchatka

Abstract

Mean index of gastrointestinal tract fullness for golden king crab Lithodes aequispinus is 15.5 ‱. Detritus occurs in 40.5 % of the cases, so it is a common food for this crab, Polychaeta, Ophiuroidea and Decapoda are 33.2 %, 32.1 % and 15.4 % of its ration, respectively, whereas Mollusca are only 11.5 % of the ration weight, despite of frequent occurrence. Triangle tanner crab Chionoecetes angulatus has the mean index of fullness 20.9 ‱, Polychaeta and Mollusca are two main components of its ration (31.4 % and 27.3 %, respectively) and Decapoda and Pisces are the secondary components (13.9 % and 12.2 %); detritus occurs in 11.2 % of the cases. Cannibalism is observed incidentally for the latter species.