NATURAL DIET OF THE CRAB HEPATUS-PUDIBUNDUS (BRACHYURA, CALAPPIDAE) IN FORTALEZA BAY, UBATUBA (SP), BRAZIL

The natural diet of Hepatus pudibundus in Fortaleza Bay, Ubatuba (SP), Brazil, was determined, based on two methods: Frequency Occurrence an d Percentage Points. Foregut contents of 219 specimens collected from November 1988 to October 1989 in 7 different areas of Fortaleza Bay we re analyzed. Hepatus pudibundus had varied recognizable food categorie s, in decreasing order: crustaceans, fish, sediment (a facultative sca venger), and molluscs. Other food categories were in low percentage: b ryozoans, algae, annelids, foraminiferans, cnidarians, and echinoderms ranked fifth through tenth on the basis of the methods utilized. A si gnificant difference was found in the amount of food in the diet durin g seasonal analysis (autumn > summer > winter > spring) and among the 7 sampling areas of Fortaleza Bay. We suggest that the crab H. pudibun dus is an opportunistic omnivorous crustacean, and is not exclusively molluscivorous.