Diet Composition and Feeding Intensity of Four-Spotted Megrim, <i>Lepidorhombus boscii</i> (Risso, 1810), in the Eastern Adriatic Sea
2025
Nika Ugrin | Mate Šantić | Željka Trumbić | Svjetlana Krstulović Šifner
Feeding habits of the four-spotted megrim, <i>Lepidorhombus boscii</i>, from the eastern Adriatic Sea were examined. A total of 1070 individuals collected using a bottom trawl net between July 2020 and June 2021 were analyzed. A high percentage of empty stomachs (63.27%) was recorded. The food composition proved that <i>L. boscii</i> is a carnivorous species. The identified prey of <i>L. boscii</i> was divided into seven groups: Teleostei, Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Cephalopoda, Isopoda, Mysida, and Decapoda. Decapods were the most important prey (%IRI = 58.18), followed by cephalopods (%IRI = 10.93). At the species level, the most important prey were the decapods <i>Parapeneus longirostris</i> (%IRI = 11.48) and <i>Goneplax rhomboides</i> (%IRI = 5.92). Statistically significant seasonal variations in diet were recorded; decapods dominated in spring, summer, and winter, whereas cephalopods prevailed in autumn. There were no statistically significant differences in the food composition between the three size categories. Decapods were the most important prey in all size categories (%IRI > 50). The lowest feeding intensity, as well as the highest percentage of empty stomachs, was recorded in winter, which is also the main spawning season of this species in the Adriatic Sea.
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