Routine oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion were measured at 20ºC and 25ºC in the searobin Prionotus punctatus collected in Ubatuba region (22º30'S), SP, Brazil, in western South Atlantic, to investigate energy expenditure and losses through metabolic processes. IndividuaIs ranging from 1.00g to 88.47g and from 1.79g to 56.50g were used in experiments at 20ºC and 25ºC, respectively. At 20ºC and 25ºC, the averages of weight-specific oxygen consumption for the weight class of 1.00 - 10.00g, common to both temperatures, were 162.46µ 39.51 µ.10z/g/h and 200.47µ 92.46 µ.10z/g/h, respectively; for the weight class of 50.01 - 60.00g these values were 112.30 µ 22.84 µ.10z/g/h and 114.60 µ 20.36 µ.10zlg/h. At 20ºC and 25ºC, the averages of weight-specific ammonia excretion for the weight class of 1.00 to 1O.00g were 1.03 µ 0.37 fJ.M/g/h and 1.21 µ 0.65 µ.M/g/h, respectively; for the weight class of 50.01 -60.00g these values were 0.68 µ 0.13 fJ.M/g/h and 0.60 µ 0.22 µ.M/g/h. The energy budget for the species was calculated at both temperatures using the experimental data and a model for marine teleosts proposed in the literature.
Marine fish; Bioenergetics; Animal metabolism; Energy budget; Excretory products; Oxygen consumption; Prionotus punctatus; Ubatuba; São Paulo; Brazil