Food and feeding habits of the Atlantic Horse Mackerel, Trachurus trachurus, from the Aegean Sea (Osteichthyes: Carangidae)
2009; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 46; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/09397140.2009.10638327
ISSN2326-2680
AutoresBahar Bayhan, Tuncay Murat Sever,
Tópico(s)Identification and Quantification in Food
ResumoAbstract Abstract The stomach contents of the Atlantic Horse Mackerel, Trachurus trachurus (Linnaeus, 1758), were analysed to investigate the food and feeding habits of this species with respect to fish size and season. A total of 60 different prey species was found belonging to five major systematic groups, i.e. Polychaeta, Crustacea, Mollusca, Chaetognatha and Osteichthyes. Crustaceans (especially Copepoda, Euphausiacea and Mysidacea) were the most important food category by percentage of relative importance index. Teleosts were the second most important food category, while Polychaeta and Chaetognatha were occasionally seen as food. Little seasonal variation in the diet of T. trachurus was observed: copepods and mysids were the dominant prey groups in all seasons, and teleosts except in spring were the most frequent prey. However, differences in size were highlighed, with fish larger than 16.9 cm feeding on teleost larvae. At least 45 Copepoda species were identified, with Acartia clausi and Oncea media being the most significant among them by the percentage of relative importance index groups in all seasons. Copepods, euphausiids and mysids were thus the most important prey to be consumed by Trachurus trachurus in all seasons as well as by the small size classes. Moreover, teleosts constituted the main food for larger specimens. Key words: Atlantic Horse MackerelTrachurus trachurusfeeding habitsizmir BayÇandarlı BayAegean SeaTurkey
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