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Temporal and Spatial Effects on the Diet of an Estuarine Piscivore, Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus)

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Abstract

Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the USA and comprises vast areas of polyhaline to freshwater, tidal fish habitat. The Bay experiences large temperature differences between winter and summer, which in combination with the variety of salinities enables approximately 240 species of fish to be temporary inhabitants. This dynamic environment leads to an ever-changing prey field for predators. The goal of this study was to characterize the diet of one of the few resident, euryhaline predators within the tidal rivers in Virginia, Lepisosteus osseus (longnose gar). The top five prey species were Morone americana, Brevoortia tyrannus, Fundulus spp., Micropogonias undulatus, and Leiostomous xanthurus. The diet composition varied with the seasonal fish assemblages, length of L. osseus, water temperature, and salinity. L. osseus consumed a greater amount of marine and anadromous fishes (%W = 59.4 % and %N = 56.5 %) than resident fishes (%W = 40.6 % and %N = 43.5 %). The seasonal influx of anadromous or coastal spawning fishes appears to be an important prey source for L. osseus and most likely other piscivores in the tributaries of Chesapeake Bay.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the VIMS Juvenile Striped Bass Seine Survey, VIMS Juvenile Fish and Blue Crab Survey, VIMS American Shad Survey, and VIMS Striped Bass Spawning Stock Survey, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fishes, Virginia Commonwealth University, George Mason University, and Maryland Department of Natural Resources for collecting many of the specimens analyzed in this study. We also thank numerous volunteers for field and lab assistance. We thank Drs. John Brubaker, Robert Latour, Thomas Munroe, and John Olney and Mr. Andre Buchheister for their helpful editing of this manuscript. We also thank Mr. Buchheister for statistical advice. This project was conducted under IACUC No. 20051006. Funding was provided by National Science Foundation grant DGE-084084 and the Department of Fisheries Science (VIMS). This is contribution number 3276 of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary.

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  1. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 1346, Gloucester Point, VA, 23062, USA

    Patrick E. McGrath, Eric J. Hilton & John A. Musick

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  1. Patrick E. McGrath
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Correspondence to Patrick E. McGrath.

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McGrath, P.E., Hilton, E.J. & Musick, J.A. Temporal and Spatial Effects on the Diet of an Estuarine Piscivore, Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus). Estuaries and Coasts 36, 1292–1303 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-013-9637-9

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