Diet composition of the Mediterranean horse mackerel, Trachurus mediterraneus (Steindachner, 1868) (Osteichthyes: Carangidae), from the Aegean Sea

Bahar Bayhan; Tuncay Murat Sever; Ali Kara

doi:10.26496/bjz.2013.120

Authors

Bahar Bayhan Ege University, Faculty of Fisheries, Department of Hydrobiology, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey
Tuncay Murat Sever Ege University, Faculty of Fisheries, Department of Hydrobiology, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey
Ali Kara Ege University, Faculty of Fisheries, Department of Fishing and Processing Technology, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2013.120

Keywords:

Mediterranean horse mackerel, Trachurus mediterraneus, diet composition, prey, food, Aegean Sea

Abstract

Data on feeding habits in aquatic ecosystems are of great importance in determining the role that a certain fish species plays in its habitat and in related ecosystems. In this study, the diet composition of Mediterranean horse mackerel, Trachurus mediterraneus was investigated for 728 specimens from the central Aegean Sea to compare our data with those from other regions of the Mediterranean Sea and throughout all four seasons. Catches from five major groups were identified. Crustaceans (particularly copepods) proved to be the most important food item considering the index of relative importance (IRI). At least 58 different copepod species were identified. Abundant copepod species that occur in every season were Corycaeus sp., Oncaea media, Oncaea spp., Isias clavipes, Euterpina acutifrons and Oithona nana. Isias clavipes occurred only in spring, with all of them appearing in the diet with a %IRI >10. Although found in a relatively smaller quantity, teleost larvae ranked as the second most important prey in the overall diet, with increasing quantities in fish larger than 18.0 cm.

References

Ben-Salem M (1988). Régime alimentaire de Trachurus trachurus (Linnaeus, 1758) et de T. mediterraneus (Steindachner, 1868) (poissons, téléostéens, Carangidae) de la province atlantico-méditerranéenne. Cybium 12(3): 247-253.

Berg J (1979). Discussion of methods of investigating the food of fishes, with reference to a preliminary study of the food of Gobiusculus flavescens (Gobiidae). Marine Biology 50: 263-273.

Daskalov GM (2002). Overfishing drives a trophic cascade in the Black Sea. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 225: 53-63.

Daskalov GM, Grishin AN, Rodionov S & Mihneva V (2007). Trophic cascades triggered by overfishing reveal possible mechanisms of ecosystem regime shifts. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 104(25): 10518-10523.

Deudero S (2001). Interspecific trophic relationships among pelagic fish species underneath FADs. Journal of Fish Biology, 58(1): 53-67.

Fernandez-Jover D, Jımenezb JAL, Sanchez-Jerez P, Bayle-Sempere J, Casalduero FG, Lopez FJM & Dempster T (2007). Changes in body condition and fatty acid composition of wild Mediterranean horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus Steindachner, 1868) associated to sea cage fish farms. Marine Environmental Research 63: 1-18.

Fisher W, Bauchot ML & Schneider M (1987). Fiches FAO d’identification pour les besoins de la pêche, révision 1. Mediterranée et Mer Noire. Zone de Pêche 37, Vol.2, Vertebres, p. 761-1530. FAO, Rome.

Hyslop EJ (1980). Stomach contents analysis – a review of methods and their application. Journal of Fish Biology 17: 411-429.

Jardas I, Šantić M & Pallaoro A (2004). Diet composition and feeding intensity of horse mackerel, Trachurus trachurus (Osteichthyes: Carangidae) in the eastern Adriatic. Marine Biology 144: 1051-1056.

Kyrtatos NA (1998). Contribution de la nourriture de Trachurus mediterraneus (Steind.) et de son influence sur les chaines alimentaires de la mer Egée centrale. Rapp. Comm. Int. Mer Médit. 35: 452-453.

Moraıtou-Apostolopoulou M (1972). Occurrence and fluctuation of the pelagic copepods of the Aegean Sea with some notes on their ecology. Hellenic Oceanology and Limnology, 11: 325-402.

Pınkas LM, Olıphant S & Iverson ILK (1971). Food habits of albacore, bluefin tuna and bonito in Californian waters. California Department of Fish & Game, Fish Bulletin 152: 1–105.

Šantić M, Jardas I & Pallaoro A (2004). Diet composition and feeding intensity of Mediterranean horse mackerel, Trachurus mediterraneus (Osteichthyes: Carangidae), in the central Adriatic Sea. Acta Adriatica (45): 43-50.

Šantić M, Jardas I & Pallaoro A (2005). Feeding habits of horse mackerel, Trachurus trachurus (Linneaus, 1758), from the central Adriatic Sea. Journal of Applied Ichthyology (21): 125–130.

Sever T & Bayhan (Sahınoğlu) B (1999). Preliminary study on the feeding regime of the Mediterranean horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus Steind., 1868) distributed in the bay of Izmir. Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (16): 107-116.

Sever TM, Bayhan B & Taskavak E (2005). A preliminary study on the feeding regime of European Pilchard (Sardina pilchardus Walbaum, 1792) in Izmir Bay Turkey, Eastern Aegean Sea. NAGA, WorldFish Center Quarterly 28(3-4): 41-48.

Sever TM, Bayhan B, Bılecenoglu M & Mavılı (2006). Diet composition of the juvenile chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) in The Aegean Sea (Izmir Bay, Turkey). Journal of Applied Ichthyology 22: 145-148.

Smith-Vaniz WF (1986). Carangidae. In: Whıtehead PJP, Bauchot ML, Hureau JC, Nıelsen J & Tortonese E (eds). Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. UNESCO, Paris, 2: 815-844.

Stergıou KI, Chrıstou ED, Georgopoulos D, Zenetos A & Souvermezoglou C (1997). Hellenic waters: physics chemistry, biology and fisheries. Oceanography and Marine Biology, An Annual Review 35: 415–538.