Ecology Summary - Eretmochelys imbricata

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Ecology of Eretmochelys imbricata

Main Ref.	Schneider, W., 1990
Remarks	Most often seen in shallow waters around reefs, bays, and inlets (Ref. 122680). Turtles measuring up to 10 cm straight carapace length are usually nektonic animal. It changes to benthic feeding when it approaches coastal areas. This is a carnivorous turtle commonly poking in crevices between rocks and corals. It feeds on algae, ascidians, sponges, bryozoans, molluscs, hydroids, barnacles, cephalopods, salps, and seagrasses (Ref. 97534). It becomes a regular inhabitant of hard substrata, i.e., corals, tunicates, algae and sponges (Ref. 417). Associated with reef fishes (Ref. 104964) and a shrimp (Ref. 104967).

Main Ref.

Schneider, W., 1990

Remarks

Most often seen in shallow waters around reefs, bays, and inlets (Ref. 122680). Turtles measuring up to 10 cm straight carapace length are usually nektonic animal. It changes to benthic feeding when it approaches coastal areas. This is a carnivorous turtle commonly poking in crevices between rocks and corals. It feeds on algae, ascidians, sponges, bryozoans, molluscs, hydroids, barnacles, cephalopods, salps, and seagrasses (Ref. 97534). It becomes a regular inhabitant of hard substrata, i.e., corals, tunicates, algae and sponges (Ref. 417). Associated with reef fishes (Ref. 104964) and a shrimp (Ref. 104967).

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 Eretmochelys imbricata may be found.

Habitat

Substrate	Benthic: mobile; Soft Bottom: sand; mud; Hard Bottom: rocky;
Substrate Ref.	Stampar, S.N., P.F. da Silva and O.J. Luiz Jr., 2007
Special habitats	Beds: algae/seaweed; sea grass; Coral Reefs; vegetation
Special habitats Ref.	Stampar, S.N., P.F. da Silva and O.J. Luiz Jr., 2007

Associations

Ref.	Schneider, W., 1990
Associations	symbiosis;
Associated with	reef fishes Acanthurus chirurgus, Acanthurus coeruleus, Acanthurus coeruleus, Acanthurus nigrofuscus, Ctenochaetus strigosus, Zebrasoma flavescens, Ophioblennius trinitatis, Thalassoma duperrey, Thalassoma lunare, Abudefduf saxatilis, Abudefduf sexfasciatus, Stegastes rocasensis (Ref. 104964) and Pomacentrus paru (Ref. 104970); Shrimp Stenopus hispidus (Ref. 104967). Planes minutus (Ref. 129090).
Association remarks	Reef fishes forage on the epibionts of the turtle, exhibiting cleaning symbiosis (Ref. 104964). This association is also observed between a barber pole shrimp and E. imbricata (Ref. 104967). Basiobiont of Planes minutus* (Ref. 129090).*
Parasitism

feeding

Feeding type	plants/detritus+animals (troph. 2.2-2.79)
Feeding type Ref.	Márquez, M.R., 1990
Feeding habit	hunting macrofauna (predator)
Feeding habit Ref.	Márquez, M.R., 1990

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	original sample		unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition	3.00	0.03			Troph of recruits/juv..
From individual food items	3.54	0.26			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.	León, Y.L. and K.A. Bjorndal, 2002

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