Diet composition and prey size of the mesopelagic fish Maurolicus muelleri (Sternoptychidae) in the Japan sea.
1994
Ikeda T. | Hirakawa K. | Kajihara N.
Stomach content analysis was made on larvae, juveniles and adults of Maurolicus muelleri collected from the Japan Sea. Stomach fullness (SF: stomach content weight x 100/fish weight) was independent of fish size, but varied with season. SF was greater spring (2.1 to 2.4%) than in other seasons (0.5 to 1.5%). Copepods (>40 species) were numerically the most important dietary component, with euphausiids (only Euphausia pacifica) second, indicating a largely tertiary trophic position of this fish. Cladocerans, amphipods, pteropods and other groups were minor diet components. Prey width increased with size of M. muelleri, and its overall range was 0.1 to 2.0 mm. Within this size constraints, prey organisms taken were in part determined by seasonal succession of species in the zooplankton community. Feeding niche width increased steadily as the fish grew. The present results are compared with those from other localities.
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