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Diet composition and feeding habits of Lithognathus mormyrus (Sparidae) from the Gulf of Gabes (Central Mediterranean)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 November 2015

Nader Ben Hadj Hamida ,
Olfa Ben Abdallah-Ben Hadj Hamida ,
Othman Jarboui  and
Hechmi Missaoui
Nader Ben Hadj Hamida*
Affiliation:
Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer (INSTM), P.O. BOX 1035 – 3018 Sfax, Tunisia
Olfa Ben Abdallah-Ben Hadj Hamida
Affiliation:
Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer (INSTM), P.O. BOX 1035 – 3018 Sfax, Tunisia
Othman Jarboui
Affiliation:
Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer (INSTM), P.O. BOX 1035 – 3018 Sfax, Tunisia
Hechmi Missaoui
Affiliation:
Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie (INAT), 43 avenue Charles Nicolle 1082 – Tunis-Mahrajène, Tunisia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to:N. Ben Hadj Hamida, Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer (INSTM), P.O. BOX 1035 – 3018 Sfax, Tunisia email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The diet and feeding habits of the striped seabream, Lithognathus mormyrus, from the Gulf of Gabes were investigated by examining the stomach contents of 1221 specimens ranging from 9.7 cm to 24.1 cm total length (and 11.2 g to 158.1 g in weight). Specimens were collected from commercial catches between September 2005 and August 2007. Of the total number of examined stomachs, 1115 were empty (Index of vacuity = 91.3%). This percentage varied significantly over the year, attaining a maximum in winter (95.77%) and summer (95.79%) and, a minimum in autumn (82.25%). Eight higher taxonomic groups were identified (teleosts, crustaceans, molluscs, echinoderms, annelids, spongia and plantae). Crustaceans were the most important prey taxa, constituting 84.6% of the total IRI. Other taxa, such as teleosts, and molluscs were of secondary importance. Significant differences in the diet were observed in relation to season. The estimated trophic level was 3.63 ± 0.59 for the whole population of L. mormyrus of the Gulf of Gabes. Based on the composition of its diet, this species may be considered to be an omnivorous fish with a preference for animal material and showed a specialist feeding strategy.

Keywords

feeding habitsLithognathus mormyrusGulf of GabesCentral Mediterranean
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 96 , Issue 7 , November 2016 , pp. 1491 - 1498
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2015 

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