A study of food chains in seagrass communities II. Food of the rock flathead, Platycephalus laevigatus Cuvier, a major predator in a Posidonia australis seagrass bed

1983 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 745 ◽  
Author(s):  
DW Klumpp ◽  
PD Nichols

Feeding habits of P. laevigatus were investigated between February 1980 and November 1981 as part of a larger study on the structure of food chains supporting commercial fishes in the seagrass beds of Corner Inlet, south-eastern Australia. The main food components were crabs, predominantly Nectocarcinus integrifons, and juvenile fishes. Most dietary items were inhabitants of the seagrass zone. Small (25-33 cm) rock flathead showed a preference for fish, squid and shrimp whereas larger (> 33 cm) individuals consumed mainly N. integrifons together with some fish. Seasonal variations in diet and feeding intensity occurred. A decrease in feeding intensity in winter was accompanied by a shift in diet from N. integrifons to fish and squid. A second decline in feeding intensity corresponded to the apparent spawning period. The rock flathead and its main prey, N. integrifons, both showed a rhythm in locomotory activity correlated with nocturnal or crepuscular high tides whereas small fish prey were mostly active during daylight.

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
Vishwas Balasaheb Sakhare ◽  
Ashvini Dnayndeo Chalak

The food analysis of 150 specimens of Clarias batrachus revealed that the food consisted of insect larvae, small fish, shrimps and organic debris. Small fish and insect larvae were preferred as the primary food item in all the seasons. On average for all months of the study period, small fish dominated the list with a percentage of 30.27.The other food items in descending order are insect larvae (27.66%), worms (20.27%), shrimps (14.3%) and organic debris (7.05%).The feeding intensity in mature fishes was found to be very poor during August to September. This period of poor feeding activities in case mature fishes coincides with the peak spawning season.


2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinícius Abilhoa ◽  
Hugo Bornatowski ◽  
Gislaine Otto

Feeding habits of the characin Hollandichthys multifasciatus were investigated. Samplings were made between March 2004 and February 2005 in two black water streams of the coastal Atlantic rainforest in southern Brazil. The diet, evaluated by qualitative and quantitative methods, included aquatic and terrestrial insects, decapods, oligochaetes, plants and spiders. Large individuals feed mainly on plants, terrestrial insects, and spiders, whereas small fish feed basically on plants and oligochaetes. The species showed an omnivorous feeding habit, and its diet was composed of autochthonous (mainly oligochaetes) and allochthonous (plants and terrestrial insects) material.


Author(s):  
Nitin Kanji Suyani ◽  
Mridula Rajesh ◽  
Kothanahally Mallegowda Rajesh

Abstract The feeding habits and reproductive biology of red-toothed triggerfish Odonus niger (Ruppell, 1836) was analysed from 449 specimens collected from the Karnataka coast of the south-eastern Arabian Sea. Of the total stomachs examined, only 54 (12%) were empty and 395 contained food remains. The diet comprised crustacean remains (48.0%), zooplankton (21.4%), algae (16.5%), fish remains (6.1%) and cephalopod remains (5.3%) along with partially digested matter (2.3%) and detritus (0.4%). The species was found to be a generalist feeder and an omnivore. The overall sex ratio between males and females (1: 0.44) was significantly (P < 0.05) different. Histological examination of the ovaries indicated asynchronous ovarian development in females, with males maturing earlier than females. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) patterns of males and females, and the presence of ripe ovaries and spermatozoids suggested that April–May is the peak spawning period. The absolute and relative fecundity estimates ranged from 16,464–312,420 eggs and 251–2812 eggs g−1 respectively. Fecundity was positively correlated with total length and body weight. The biological information on diet composition and reproductive traits provided for the first time in this study can facilitate conservation, management and sustainable exploitation of this species in the study area.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Abdur Razzaq Joadder

Food and feeding habits of fishes have a great significance in aquaculture practices. It helps to select such species of fishes for culture which will utilize all the available potential food of the water bodies without much competition with one another but will live in association with other fishes. This paper deals with the feeding intensity and food habits of L. bata . Food and feeding habit of freshwater minor carp Labeo bata (120 to 250 mm total length) were studied. The fish is a herbivore, feeding mainly on algae (22.32 %), higher plant parts (31.26 %), protozoans (7.42 %), crustaceans (15.33 %), insects (3.56 %), muds, sand, debris and detritus (16.32 %) and unidentified food materials (3.99%).Journal of Science Foundation, 2014;12(1):7-15


Behaviour ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 134 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 563-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann S. Oliver

AbstractThis study examines factors within the mating system of Serranus subligarius (belted sandfish) that are likely to maintain simultaneous hermaphroditism as an evolutionarily stable strategy in a highly mobile, high density species. I focus on changes in mating behavior with size. Mating behavior was observed underwater in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico at St. Andrew Bay State Park. Every hermaphrodite can spawn in three roles over the course of the daily spawning period: female pair spawn, male pair spawn, and male streak spawn. Pair spawning fish trade eggs, taking turns fertilizing one another's eggs. Egg trading is not symmetrical; the smaller fish in a pair spawns more often in the female role than the larger fish. Overall, small fish ( 70 mm SL) pair spawn more frequently as females, while large fish ( 80 mm SL) pair spawn more often as males. A size advantage appears to exist for male function. However, large fish usually release at least one egg parcel per spawning


2007 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane P. Griffiths ◽  
Gary C. Fry ◽  
Fiona J. Manson ◽  
Richard D. Pillans

The feeding ecology of longtail tuna was studied in northern and eastern Australia. Diet biomass data were used to estimate daily ration and consumption of individual prey taxa, particularly penaeids targeted by Australia’s valuable Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF). Overall, the 497 stomachs contained 101 prey taxa. In both regions, small pelagic and demersal fishes comprised the majority of the diet biomass. Fish in both regions showed a marked increase in prey diversity, variation in prey composition and stomach fullness index in autumn and winter (March–August). This increase in apparently opportunistic feeding behaviour and feeding intensity showed an inverse relationship with reproductive activity, indicating a possible energy investment for gonad development. Daily ration decreased with increasing fish size, while annual consumption by fish increased with size. Total prey consumption in the Gulf of Carpentaria was estimated at 148178 t year–1. This includes 599 t year-1 of penaeids, equivalent to 11% of the annual NPF catch. This study demonstrated that longtail tuna play an important ecological role in neritic ecosystems. Their interaction with commercial fisheries highlights the need for targeted dietary studies of high order predators to better understand trophic pathways to facilitate ecosystem-based fisheries management.


Author(s):  
MA Azadi ◽  
M Nasiruddin ◽  
ASMS Rahman

Food and feeding habits of Gonialosa manmina were done by the analysis of 197 guts of the fish using both occurrence and point methods and also by the Index of preponderance. As per Index of preponderance, the preferred food items were graded as cladocerans (65.34%-1st), copepods (20.96%-2nd), miscellaneous (8.89%-3rd), rotifers (2.81% 4th) and bacillariophyceae (0.77% 5th). High feeding intensity was observed during pre and post spawning months. Significant (P<0.01) positive relationships were observed between the total length (TL) and total gut length (TGL) (TGL=2.09799TL0.89677, r=0.963, t=10.22), total length (TL) and stomach length (StL)(StL=0.18447TL0.7599, r=0.997, t= 39.92), and total length (TL) and intestine length (IL) (IL=0.99105TL1.0256, r=0.9854, t=16.37). Total fish length was slightly shorter than the gut length (1:1.31) and more than 91% animal nature gut contents confirmed that the fish was mainly a surface feeder zooplanktivore in Kaptai lake. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/cujbs.v4i1.13386 The Chittagong Univ. J. B. Sci.,Vol. 4(1&2):53-61, 2009


Author(s):  
Laura Busin Campos ◽  
Xênia Moreira Lopes ◽  
Ednilson da Silva ◽  
Marcos César de Oliveira Santos

AbstractThis study evaluated the feeding habits of the franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) in south-eastern Brazil. Stomach contents were collected from a total of 145 dead specimens found incidentally caught by fishing vessels or stranded between 2005 and 2015. Fish otoliths, cephalopod beaks and whole non-digested prey were used for prey species identification. A total of 9337 prey items were identified, including 26 species of teleost fishes and three species of cephalopods. The most important prey families were Sciaenidae among fish and Loliginidae among cephalopods. Franciscana dolphins tended to feed on small fish (mean = 5.25 cm) and cephalopods (mean = 8.57 cm). The index of relative importance (IRI) showed that Pellona harroweri and Doryteuthis plei were the most important prey for both males and females. The PERMANOVA test confirmed that there is no significant difference between the feeding habits of different sexes, but detected a significant difference among seasons. Overall, our results show that franciscana dolphins are predominantly ichthyophagous and non-selective in relation to the type of prey, feeding on pelagic, demersal and pelagic-demersal prey.


2021 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Shubhadeep Ghosh ◽  
Satishkumar Mamidi ◽  
Manas Hoshalli Munivenkatappa ◽  
Prathibha Rohit ◽  
Abdussamad Eruppakkottil Median ◽  
...  

Coryphaena hippurus is a large pelagic species and constitutes an important by-catch in drift gillnet, trolling and long-line fishing gears operated along the Bay of Bengal, northeastern Indian Ocean. The present study, first from the region, is aimed at deciphering the feeding dynamics from 1150 individuals collected from 2017 to 2019. 32.17% of the fishes had empty stomachs or was with food traces, 45.57% had partially-full stomachs and 22.26% had full stomachs. The feeding intensity was inferred through stomach filling and predator-prey weight ratio, which was higher in May and lower in January, and increasing as increase in the fish size. Coryphaena hippurus is considered a piscivorous pelagic predator as pelagic teleosts contribute more than half of the prey species. Major prey species were big-eye scad (27.3%), squid (10.3%), crabs (9.3%), Indian mackerel (7.2%), Indian scad (5.9%), whitebaits (5.7%) and sardines (5.4%). Scads and crabs were abundantly preyed during summer and winter, while clupeids and engraulids in monsoon; however, no significant variations were observed in prey composition between sizes. Trophic Level was 4.22 ± 0.15 and Levins Standardized Niche Breadth Index was 0.30. Dietary niche breadth was higher during summer (0.48) and monsoon (0.33) and in fishes measuring 60.0–74.9 cm (0.51) and below 45.0 cm (0.48) indicating generalised feeding. This primary study from Bay of Bengal is the first comprehensive report on trophodynamics for the species and would contribute to its management using trophic interactions.


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