Filling a gap: predators becoming prey. A revision of teuthivorous Mediterranean predators

Abstract A review was carried out of studies on the diet of various Mediterranean teuthivorous predators (marine mammals, chondrichthyans, osteichthyans, seabirds, turtles, crustaceans, and cephalopods) and their cephalopod prey. Data extracted from the literature were analysed using multivariate statistical techniques. Three distinct groups of predators were identified according to the cephalopod species consumed. The most common prey of the predators are the ‘unidentified Cephalopoda’, followed by the sepiolid Heteroteuthis dispar and the ommastrephid squid Illex coindetii. The most important cephalopod predators are the striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba, the chondrichthyans Scyliorhinus canicula and Galeus melastomus, the swordfish Xiphias gladius, and the ommastrephid squid Todarodes sagittatus. The dietary preferences of the different teutophages, their geographical distribution and some ecological implications are discussed.