Diet composition and feeding habits of flat needlefish Ablennes hians (Valenciennes, 1846) (Beloniformes: Belonidae) in the Southeastern Arabian Sea

Roul, Subal Kumar and Ganga, U and Abdussamad, E M and Jaiswar, A K and Rohit, Prathibha (2023) Diet composition and feeding habits of flat needlefish Ablennes hians (Valenciennes, 1846) (Beloniformes: Belonidae) in the Southeastern Arabian Sea. Indian Journal of Geo-Marine Sciences, 52 (1). pp. 24-35. ISSN 0975-1033

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Abstract

The study describes the feeding habits, diet composition and prey diversity of Ablennes hians based on 396 specimens collected between October 2015 and September 2017 from Kerala, south-west coast of India. The Index of Relative Importance (IRI) showed that teleosts were the most preferred food items (%IRI = 65.43 %) followed by molluscs (%IRI = 32.91) and crustaceans (%IRI = 1.66). Prey biodiversity analyses indicated no significant variation in the prey items between the sexes and immature (juvenile) and mature (adult) specimens. Similarly, a non-significant difference in Vacuity Index (VI) and Fullness Index (FI) was observed between the sexes (p > 0.05), juveniles, and adults (p > 0.05). Mean number of prey items per stomach (Nm/ST) was found to be higher in females and juveniles than males and adults; whereas the mean weight of prey items per stomach (Wm/ST) was higher in females and adults. Analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) test also indicated that there was no significant difference in prey types and preferences between sexes (global R = -0.25, P > 0.05) and juveniles and adults (global R = 0.5, P > 0.05). Diet analysis revealed that the species is a carnivorous and active pelagic predator, predominately consuming teleost fishes and an opportunistic feeder and might perform vertical migrations in search of food. The present study provides a first reference on the detailed information on feeding biology of the flat needlefish, which can be used as a baseline information for future studies in the region.

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