From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dormitator latifrons, or the Pacific fat sleeper, is a species that practically lives in brackish waters during all its life. The species is distributed from California to Ecuador living in the coastal slopes of the Pacific, the estuarine lagoons systems. Latifrons like one of the most important species is considered to Dormitator transforming the potential energy of the detritus into assimilable energy by superior tróficos levels ecologically. In addition the species has economic perspective for the short term man, as much as possible fish of table like being used in fishing by-product elaboration. Probably it does not correspond to specie of ample consumption as fish of table, but its particular abundance and its great adaptation to the coastal lagoons, turn it a susceptible economic potential to be used in fishing products, in addition of being an ecologically important specie in those ecosystems. It is distributed along of the Eastern Tropical Pacific, the water temperature goes from 72-77°F for the optimal living of this fish and the pH of the water should be slightly alkaline. One of the limitations in its advantage is its aspect, its consistency and its scent, that do not make a tempting species for the human consumption; although this can be possible. The used art of fishing dormitator latifrons was “atarraya”, that is particularly efficient in cloudy and brief waters of the lagoons. It is a circular network of 5,0 ms of diameter, mesh of plot 0,5 and 1,0 inches, and with numerous lead ballasts in the periphery. Dormitator latifrons mainly feeds on detritus and MOND and vegetal rest, but in addition it includes in his diet micromoluscus, ostracodos, nemertinos, trematodos, grudges of fish, copepodos, annelids, larvae of insects and possibly inorganic sediments with which it also incorporates some foraminiferos. It is probable that the trematodos found in digestive tract correspond to parasites since they did not present/display digestion signs. The feeding of Dormitator latifrons indicate that the specie is a primary consumer of the vegetal type detritivourus, according to the time of the year and to the availability of the food one also behaves like Primary Consumer of the type omnivorous, incorporating, annelids, copepodos and microfauna in his diet, certain proportion. The intensity of feeding of the species is very high during all its life, like also its stomach capacity. Potential energy of the detritus has great ecological meaning when transforming into assimilable energy by other superior troficos levels where other fish, aquatic birds and the man are located. This species can behave like a biological indicator of: dulceacuicolas conditions, discharge fitoplanctonica biomass, great amount of detritus in the ecosystem, numerous manglares, low ictiofaunistica diversity, almost absence of macrobentos; between most significant.
[edit] External links
