The food of some young fishes from Bombay

Summary

In the present investigation extending over a period of two years from June 1945 to June 1947, the stomach contents of 2,188 young fishes belonging to 21 species were examined for determining their food and feeding habits.

• 1. The young forms of almost all the species are surface plankton feeders, and are carnivorous, exceptScatophagus argus which feeds mainly on algæ.

• 2. Planktonic prawn larvae mostly belonging to the genusAcetes formed the main food of the young forms of a number of species mentioned above, whereas the grown-up ones seem to prefer mostly fish diet consisting ofBregmaceros macclellandi, Engraulis commersonianus, Otolithus argentens, Clupeids, etc.

• 3. Equula insidiatrix andE. ruconius seem to have a special liking for polychætes, whereas copepods formed the main food of the young forms ofE. fasciata during the first stage.

• 4. Diatoms in fairly high percentages were taken byMugil troschelli andM. parsia, though copepods formed their main item of food.

• 5. Amongst the Percidæ, the amphipods formed an important item of food in addition to prawn larvæ and copepods.Ambassis commersoni, however, has a greater preference to polychæte food.

• 6. The younger forms of all the Sciænids take prawns as their main food, and the percentage of their fish food goes on slowly increasing as they grow in size.