Abstract
Stomach contents of 687 orange roughy [Hoplostethus atlanticus (Collett, 1889)] from the Challenger Plateau, sampled in March, July and November 1984, were examined. The relative importance of different components of the diet was assessed using three feeding indices which combine, in different ways, percentage frequency of occurrence, percentage number, and percentage weight of prey categories. For both sexes, for all size classes and at any time of the year, the most frequent and abundant components of the diet were prawns, followed by fish, squid, amphipods and mysids. The main natant decapod families were Oplophoridae, Pasiphaeidae, and Sergestidae. Fish, mainly Chauliodontidae and Myctophidae, were the most important prey by weight. Most prey species were benthopelagic and mesopelagic organisms which move towards the surface at night. However, H. atlanticus can be caught by bottom trawl (between 750 and 1 200 m) during any 24 h period, and there was no evidence of vertical migration in search of their prey. When the fish grow in length, there is a transition in the diet from prawns, mysids, and fish, to prawns, fish and squid. Squid were not found in the stomach contents of fish smaller than 20 cm. These dietary changes may be linked to modifications in morphology with growth. The relative proportions of the main dietary items, and in particular the natant decapod families, varied with time of the year. Also, the stomach data seem to indicate an increasing importance of fish and squid in the diet in deeper water. H. atlanticus appears to be an opportunistic predator, consuming a wide variety of invertebrates and fishes. Our results provide evidence to support the notion that benthopelagic predators which consume vertically migrating mesopelagic fish, have an important role in the transfer of energy to the benthos.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Amesbury, S. S. (1975). The vertical structure of the midwater fish community off leeward Oahu, Hawaii. Ph.D. thesis, University of Hawaii, Honolulu
Berg, J. (1979). Discussion of methods of investigating the food of fishes, with reference to a preliminary study of the prey of Gobiusculus flavescens (Gobiidae). Mar. Biol. 50: 263–273
Blaber, S. J. M., Bulman, C. M. (1987). Diets of fishes of the upper continental slope of eastern Tasmania: content, calorific values, dietary overlap and trophic relationships. Mar. Biol. 95: 345–356
Clark, M. R. (1982). The food and feeding relationships of fish species from the Campbell Plateau, New Zealand. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Clark, M. R. (1985). The food and feeding of seven species from the Campbell Plateau, New Zealand. N.Z. Jl mar. Freshwat. Res. 19: 339–363
Clarke, M. R. (1966). A review of the systematics and ecology of oceanic squids. Adv. mar. Biol. 4: 91–300
Clarke, T. A. (1978). Diel feeding patterns of 16 species of mesopelagic fishes from Hawaiian waters. Fish. Bull. U.S. 76: 495–513
Foxton, P. (1970). The vertical distribution of pelagic decapods (Crustacea: Natantia) collected on the SOND cruise 1965. II. The Penaeidae and general discussion. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 50: 961–1000
Foxton, P., Roe, H. S. J. (1974). Observations on the nocturnal feeding of some mesopelagic decapod Crustacea. Mar. Biol. 28: 37–49
Glenn, C. L. Ward, F. J. (1968). “Wet weight” as a method for measuring stomach contents of walleyes, Stizostedion vitreum vitreum. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 25: 1505–1507
Hargreaves, P. M. (1984). The distribution of Decapoda (Crustacea) in the open sea and near-bottom over and adjacent slope in the northen North-East Atlantic ocean during autumn 1979. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 64: 829–857
Hureau, J. C. (1970). Biologie comparée de quelques poissons antarctiques (Nototheniidae). Bull. Inst. océanogr. Monaco 68: 1–250
Hyslop, E. J. (1980). Stomach contents analysis — a review of methods and their application. J. Fish Biol. 17: 411–429
Kerstan, M., Sahrhage, D. (1980). Biological investigation on fish stocks in the waters off New Zealand. Mitt. Inst. Seefisch. 29: 1–187
Kotlyar, A. N., Lipskaya, N. Y. (1981). Feeding of Hoplostethus atlanticus Collett (Trachichthyidae, Beryciformes). In: Fishes of the open ocean. Institute of Oceanology, Academy of Sciences USSR, Moscow, p. 89–93
Liwoch, M., Linkowski, T. B. (1986). Some biological features of orange roughy Hoplostethus atlanticus (Trachichthydae) from New Zealand waters. Pr. morsk. Inst. ryb. Gdyni 21: 27–41
Lu, C. C., Clarke, M. R. (1975). Vertical distribution of cephalopods at 40°N, 53°N and 60°N at 20°W in the North Atlantic. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 55: 143–163
Macdonald, J. S., Green, R. H. (1983). Redundancy of variables used to describe importance of prey species in fish diets. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sciences 40: 635–637
Mauchline, J., Gordon, J. D. M. (1984). Occurrence and feeding of berycomorphid and percomorphid teleost fish in the Rockall Trough. J. Cons. int. Explor. Mer 41: 239–247
Mauchline, J., Gordon, J. D. M. (1985). Trophic diversity in deepsea fish. J. Fish Biol. 26: 527–535
Merrett, N. R., Roe, H. S. J. (1974). Patterns and selectivity in the feeding of certain mesopelagic fishes. Mar. Biol. 28: 115–126
Pinkas, L., Oliphant, M. S., Iverson, I. L. K. (1971). Food habits of albacore, bluefin tuna and bonito in California waters. Fish Bull. Calif. 152: 1–105
Robertson, D. A., Grimes, P. J., McMillan, P. J. (1984). Orange roughy on Chatham Rise: results of a trawl survey, August–September 1982. Occ. Publs Fish. Res. Div. N.Z. Minist. Agric. Fish. 46: 1–27
Roe, H. S. J. (1984). The diel migrations and distributions within a mesopelagic community in the North East Atlantic. 2. Vertical migrations and feeding of mysids and decapod Crustacea. Prog. Oceanogr. 13: 269–318
Roe, H. S. J., Badcock, J. (1984). The diel migrations and distributions within a mesopelagic community in the North East Atlantic. 5. Vertical migrations and feeding of fish. Prog. Oceanogr. 13: 389–424
Rosecchi, E., Nouazé, Y. (1987). Comparaison de cinq indices alimentaires utilisés dans l'analyse des contenus stomacaux. Revue Trav. Inst. (scient. tech.) Pêch. marit 49: 111–123
Sargent, J. R., Gatten, R. R., Merrett, N. R. (1983). Lipids of Hoplostethus atlanticus and H. mediterraneus (Beryciformes: Trachichthyidae) from deep water to the west of Britain. Mar. Biol. 74: 281–286 (1983)
Sedberry, G. R., Musick, J. A. (1978). Feeding strategies of some demersal fishes of the Continental Slope and Rise off the Mid-Atlantic coast of the USA. Mar. Biol. 44: 357–375
Tracey, D. M. (1984). Arrow charter-for-quota cruise, 1984. Fisheries Research Division, Internal Report No. 19. [Draft report, held in Fisheries Research Centre Library, Wellington, New Zealand]
Warner, E. E. (1979). Niche partitioning by food size in fish communities. In: Clepper, H. E. (ed.) Predator and prey systems in fisheries management. Sport Fishing Institute, Washington, D.C., p. 311–322
Young, R. W. (1978). Vertical distribution and photosensitive vesicles of pelagic cephalopods from Hawaiian waters. Fish. Bull. U.S. 76: 583–615
Zander, C. D. (1982). Feeding ecology of littoral gobiid and blennioid fish of the Banyuls area (Mediterranean Sea). I. Main food and trophic dimension of niche and ecotope. Vie Milieu 32: 1–10
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by G. F. Humphrey, Sydney
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rosecchi, E., Tracey, D.M. & Webber, W.R. Diet of orange roughy, Hoplostethus atlanticus (Pisces: Trachichthyidae) on the Challenger Plateau, New Zealand. Mar. Biol. 99, 293–306 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00391992
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00391992