Feeding behaviour of the sawtooth barracuda, Sphyraena putnamae (Jordan and Seale, 1905) along the southeastern Arabian Sea, India

Rajesh, K M and Rohit, Prathibha and Viswambharan, Divya and Abdussamad, E M and Rajesh, Mridula (2021) Feeding behaviour of the sawtooth barracuda, Sphyraena putnamae (Jordan and Seale, 1905) along the southeastern Arabian Sea, India. Regional Studies in Marine Science, 47. pp. 1-9.

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Abstract

The food and feeding habits of the sawtooth barracuda, Sphyraena putnamae, from the southeastern Arabian Sea, India, were studied from 1367 specimens having a fork length range of 16.5–76 cm. The sawtooth barracuda consumed diverse prey items, which were grouped into three categories: teleosts, molluscs, and crustaceans. Teleosts were the preferred and dominant food component, while molluscs and crustaceans constituted the secondary and accessory food items, respectively. The chief constituents of the teleost group on basis of their dominance were identified to be carangids, scombrids, engraulids, leiognathids, and synodontids. The empty stomach ratio and stomach fullness index did not differ significantly between the sexes. The juveniles of both sexes exhibited a significantly higher stomach fullness index compared with the adults. A clear ontogenetic shift in the feeding pattern was observed, with only the crustaceans forming the diet in lower size class (<20 cm) being gradually replaced by molluscs and teleosts by medium-sized fishes (30–60 cm) and teleosts alone in the gut of S. putnamae above 65 cm. This study provides essential baseline information on the feeding habits of the Sphyraena putnamae, the first of its kind in the region. The study will be useful in understanding the trophodynamics of the species for proposing suitable management and conservation measures.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Arabian Sea; Diet composition;n Diet breadth; Ontogenetic shift; Sphyraena putnamae
Subjects:	Fish and Fisheries > Fish biology Food and Feeding Pelagic Fisheries
Divisions:	CMFRI-Mangalore CMFRI-Kochi > Marine Capture > Pelagic Fisheries Division Subject Area > CMFRI > CMFRI-Kochi > Marine Capture > Pelagic Fisheries Division CMFRI-Kochi > Marine Capture > Pelagic Fisheries Division Subject Area > CMFRI-Kochi > Marine Capture > Pelagic Fisheries Division
Depositing User:	Arun Surendran
Date Deposited:	30 Aug 2021 06:29
Last Modified:	15 Mar 2023 06:43
URI:	http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/id/eprint/15237

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