engleski

Feeding habits of small red scorpionfish (Scorpaena notata, Rafinesue, 1810) from the eastern Adriatic Sea.

The feeding habits of small red scorpionfish, Scorpaena notata, from the eastern Adriatic Sea, were investigated with respect to fish size and seasons. Stomach contents of 798 specimens, total length (TL) of 6.0 – 20.5 cm, collected from commercial bottom trawls from January to December 2013 were analysed. The prey items identified in the stomachs belong to ten major groups: Mollusca (Gastropoda, Bivalvia and Cephalopoda), Polychaeta, Stomatopoda, Decapoda Natantia, Decapoda Reptantia, Mysidacea, Isopoda, Amphipoda, Teleostei and Algae remains. Reptantia decapods were the most important prey (%IRI = 73.0) followed by natantia decapods (%IRI = 16.2), whereas other prey groups were only occasionally ingested. Fish size was the most important factor influencing diet. Small sized individuals (< 11 cm TL) fed primarily on small crustaceans (amphipods, mysids and isopods), whereas large-sized specimens consumed larger prey, such as decapods (reptant and natant) and teleosts. The percentage of 186 empty stomachs varied significantly over the year with maximum during the winter (36.6%) and summer (24.7%) and minimum of 14.5% during the spring. The lowest feeding intensity could be related to the lower sea temperature during winter and spawning period throughout the summer. Diet composition showed little seasonal variation ; reptant decapods were the most important prey in all season. The stomach contents of small red scorpionfish indicated that this species could be considered a generalist predator.

small red scorpionfish ; Scorpaena notata ; diet ; Adriatic Sea

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