Feeding Habits of Dwarf Goatfish (Upeneus parvus: Mullidae) on the Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

Feeding habits of dwarf goatfish on the continental shelf off Alvarado, Veracruz, Mexico, were analyzed to determine seasonal variation and size-class changes in diet composition and trophic overlap between size classes. Food was found in 63% of the 1,437 dwarf goatfish guts analyzed. The 52 dietary items identified consisted mainly of crustaceans, with Solenocera vioscai being the most important prey. Dwarf goatfish exhibited seasonal and size-class changes in prey consumption. Despite the high number of prey items, low values of diversity and diet breadth were found in the trophic spectrum. A high trophic overlap betw•een size classes was observed in the north-winds season between length classes (92-111 vs 112-130 mm) (A = 0.81) and (92-111 vs 131-150 mm) (A = 0.80), and (112-131 vs 131-150 mm) (A = 0.67). In the rainy season high overlaps were obtained between (92-111 vs 112-131 min) (A = 0.73) and (112-131 vs 131-150 mm) (A = 0.84) length classes. Dwarf goatfish appear to be opportunistic carnivorous predators that impact benthic and epibenthic invertebrates.

Feeding habits and trophic morphology of inshore lizardfish (Synodus foetens) on the central continental shelf off Veracruz, Gulf of Mexico

“…However, Sweatman (1984) found that S. englemani were active hunters, individuals move frequently over distances of up to 1.5 m between elevated rock from which they scan the surroundings for prey. Regardless of which habitat type they forage within, the important prey listed above are also abundant species in the GOM, and are considered key species in the dynamics of this marine community (Yañez‐Arancibia et al., 1985; Robins and Ray, 1986; Yáñez‐Arancibia and Sánchez‐Gil, 1988; Campos‐Dávila et al., 2002).…”

Metazoan endoparasite fauna and feeding ecology of commercial fishes from Java, Indonesia

“…Johnius borneensis feeds mainly on fishes and crustaceans, which is compliant with the present study (Theisen 2009 ). As bottom dwellers, members of the genus Upeneus mainly feed on benthic invertebrates, fish, and polychaetes (Kaya et al 1999 ; Campos-Dávila et al 2002 ; Prabha and Manjulatha 2008 ). Here, in both U. asymmetricus and U. moluccensis , fish dominated the diet and crustaceans only played a minor role.…”