Feeding ecology of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) in the Bahamian archipelago

Autor: James A. Morris, John L. Akins
Rok vydání: 2009
Předmět:
Zdroj: Environmental Biology of Fishes. 86:389-398
ISSN: 1573-5133
0378-1909
DOI: 10.1007/s10641-009-9538-8
Popis: Feeding ecology of the lionfish (Pterois volitans), an invasive species in the Western North Atlantic, was examined by collecting stomach content data from fishes taken throughout the Bahamian archipelago. Three relative metrics of prey quantity, including percent number, percent frequency, and percent volume, were used to compare three indices of dietary importance. Lionfish largely prey upon teleosts (78% volume) and crustaceans (14% volume). Twenty-one families and 41 species of teleosts were represented in the diet of lionfish; the top 10 families of dietary importance were Gobiidae, Labridae, Gram- matidae, Apogonidae, Pomacentridae, Serranidae, Blenniidae, Atherinidae, Mullidae, and Monacanthi- dae. The proportional importance of crustaceans in the diet was inversely related to size with the largest lionfish preying almost exclusively on teleosts. Lion- fish were found to be diurnal feeders with the highest predation occurring in the morning (08:00-11:00).
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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