Food and Trophic Relationships of Four Mullet Fish (Mugilidae) in the Shatt Al-Arab River, Iraq

Abstract

<jats:p>Food composition and feeding relationships of four mullet species, Planliza abu, P. subviridis, P. klunzingeri and Osteomugil speigleri from the Shatt Al-Arab River, Iraq, were assessed during 2016-2017.Fish were captured by gill nets, cast net and electro-fishing. The index of relative importance (IRI%) of food item was determined by combined the frequency of occurrence and points methods. Monthly variations in feeding activity and intensity of all species were observed. All species were herbivorous and P. abu and P. klunzingeri were considered non-specialized feeders, while P. subviridis and O. speigleri were low specialist feeders. P. abu fed mainly on diatoms (38.6%), high plants (21.7%), algae (15.9%), detritus (15.3%), fish eggs (6.9%) and zooplankton (1.6%).The diet of P. subviridis constituted from diatoms (42.2%), high plants (20.9%), detritus (17.7%), algae (15.9%), zooplankton (2.0%) and fish eggs (1.8%). P. klunzingeri fed mainly on diatoms (35.5%), high plants (29.3%), detritus (16.4%), algae (13.4%), fish eggs (4.1%) and zooplankton (2.4%). O. speigleri were consumed mainly diatoms (52.0%), detritus (17.8%), algae (16.6%), high plants (10.7%), zooplankton (2.5%) and fish eggs (2.4%).Similarity dendrogram among fish species based on their diet showed high significant overlaps among the mullet species. It means that these species might be in direct competition for food in the Shatt Al-Arab River.</jats:p>

Feeding ecology of Ellochelon vaigiensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) living in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

“…Previous studies supported the result, for instance, Wijeyaratne and Costa (1990) revealed that Liza vaigiensis was omnivorous grazers with RGL ranging from 2.31 to 3.43. Four mullet species from the Shatt Al-Arab River, Iraq, Planliza abu, P. subviridis, P. klunzingeri, and Osteomugil speigleri were herbivorous (Mohamed & Abood, 2019).…”

“…Previous studies supported the result, for instance, Wijeyaratne and Costa (1990) revealed that Liza vaigiensis was omnivorous grazers with RGL ranging from 2.31 to 3.43. Four mullet species from the Shatt Al‐Arab River, Iraq, Planliza abu , P. subviridis , P. klunzingeri , and Osteomugil speigleri were herbivorous (Mohamed & Abood, 2019). The feeding habit exhibited great variability depending on species, habitat, season, and even within the same species due to the spatiotemporal change of food composition (Islam et al, 2009).…”

“…A similar result was found in Liza vaigiensis , a synonymized name of squaretail mullet, its feeding intensity ranged from 2.50 to 4.88% (Hajisamae et al, 2004). In the Shatt Al‐Arab River of Iraq, the high feeding intensity was reported in four mullets Planliza abu , P. subviridis , P. klunzingeri , and Osteomugil speigleri (Mohamed & Abood, 2019), and L. subviridis from Parangipettai waters, India (Rahman et al, 2016). They fed continuously and never stopped feeding year‐round, although their feeding activities and intensity fluctuated monthly.…”

A Comparative Study of Feeding of Three Fish Species in the Southern Part of Al-Chibayish Marsh, Iraq

“…However Lazem (2009) considered it a detritivore in Garmat Ali channel because of the presence of organic and non-organic detritus in their food while their food include diatoms, algae, aquatic plants and protozoa as well as sand and clay granules in the east of Al-Hammar marshes (Mutlak, 2012). Diatoms were the dominant item in the gut of Abu mullet during the study of Mohamed & Abood (2019).…”

Ichthyofauna diversity in Pematang Matik Coastal Waters, Serdang Bedagai District, North Sumatra, Indonesia

“…Food resources are one of the important factors for fish that can determine the extent of distribution and control of fish populations (Khoncara et al 2018). The majority of mullets are known as detritivorous fish because their food is available in the form of organic matter manifested in the bottom sediments (Mohamed and Abood 2019). Mullets may also consume macroalgae, plankton, microorganisms, and other organic substances, including fine and coarse particle organic matter (Garcia et al 2018).…”