Preliminary Results on the Daily and Seasonal Rhythms of Cuttlefish Sepia officinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) Locomotor Activity in Captivity
Catarina C.V. Oliveira , Mayra I. Grano-Maldonado, Rui A. Gonçalves, Paulo A. Frias, António V. Sykes
Catarina C.V. Oliveira , Mayra I. Grano-Maldonado, Rui A. Gonçalves, Paulo A. Frias, António V. Sykes
Abstract
This research was aimed at characterizing the daily rhythms of locomotor activity of cuttlefish Sepia officinalis(Linnaeus, 1758), a promising aquaculture species, in a captive environment. Cuttlefish were distributed within two tanks equipped with infrared photocells, allowing the monitoring of locomotor activity continuously from August to February. Results showed a preference of cuttlefish for being active during the night in summer (24.2 ± 1.3 °C) and in autumn (18.4 ± 3.4 °C), with maximum activity peaks observed, respectively, at 01:09 h and 21:47 h, in close relation with sunset time. In winter (12.7 ± 1.4 °C), this preference changed, with higher levels of activity observed during the afternoon in December (15:20 h) and in January (18:13 h), thus suggesting this species as possessing a dualistic behaviour. Levels of activity progressively decreased during autumn and winter, likely related to low temperatures. The present study offers new insights on the behaviour of Sepia officinalis, presenting a variability of patterns across seasons, regulated by environmental synchronizers; photoperiod determining the activity periods, and temperature modulating the levels of activity. Such information may be a valuable tool for the improvement of cuttlefish culture protocols in aquaculture, and consequently its welfare.