Diet composition ofBelone belone(Linnaeus, 1761) (Pisces: Belonidae) in the Aegean Sea

Abstract

Summary The objective of this study was to determine the monthly dietary pattern in migratory garfish and to improve our understanding in the seasonality of prey choice. Gut contents of 597 Belone belone specimens collected from the eastern Aegean Sea (Turkey) were analyzed: 79.2% contained food in their guts and 20.8% had empty guts. Crustaceans (36.7%) were the most important prey with a 36.7 index of relative importance (%IRI). Especially brachyurans (13.0%) and copepods played a major role (10.1%), followed by teleosts (26.1%) and other food categories (23.3%) (much of which was of terrestrial origin, including insects). Nannocalanus minor, Clausocalanus arcuicornis, Temora stylifera, Labidocera wollastoni and Oncea media were important copepods found in the guts of B. belone specimens. Analysis of variance of the monthly weight data indicated no significant seasonal differences, except for January and February.

Feeding habits of garfish, Belone belone euxini Günther, 1866 in autumn and winter in Turkey’s south–east coast of the Black Sea

“…Our study also confirms the observations of Sever et al (2009) and Dorman (1988) that garfish display cannibalism of smaller specimens.…”

“…In the Black Sea, garfish feed on small fishes, particularly clupeids and anchovy (Engraulis sp.) (Collette & Parin, 1986;Dorman, 1988;Sever et al, 2009). Although in the present study we found that garfish feed mainly on flying ants in autumn, fish (particularly clupeids and anchovy) constitute its main food item in the other seasons -as indicated by our data and other works performed in the region (Yüce, 1975;Colette & Parin, 1986;Dorman, 1988).…”

“…Similarly to our study, Dorman (1988) found size-related differences in the diet of garfish in Irish waters: garfish of < 70 cm preyed on insects more often than fish, although all sizes fed predominantly on crustaceans. Sever et al (2009) also found that members of the Formicidae Family were an important prey. They reported an index of relative importance of 308 (1.2%), 2,385 (17.2%) and 3,176 (32.5%) in March, April and August respectively (the %IRI was calculated by ourselves).…”

“…The dietary pattern of the garfish, B. belone, varies depending on geographic location. The most important prey in the Middle Eastern Adriatic Sea are copepods (Sever et al 2009 in Aegean Sea; Zorica & Cikes Kec., 2012) while in Irish waters the most common food items are crab larvae, and clupeids (mainly juveniles) (Dorman, 1988). In the Black Sea, garfish feed on small fishes, particularly clupeids and anchovy (Engraulis sp.)…”

Metazoan Parasites of the Mediterranean Garfish &lt;i&gt;Belone belone gracilis&lt;/i&gt; (Teleostei: Belonidae) as a Tool for Stock Discrimination

“…Diversity of digenean parasites appears to be an index of the diversity of intermediate hosts ingested and therefore a varied diet of the host. Garfish B. belone is carnivorous based mainly on crustaceans (brachyura, copepod and decapod), followed by teleost fish and other items of terrestrial origin, including insects [44] [45]. Indeed, piscivorous fish occupy the top of the food web and may present more chance of infection [46].…”