Abstract
The gut contents of 575 larvae of jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus collected both day and night in seven depth layers (0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, 40–50, 50–70, and 70–100 m) using a 3 m2 mouth area frame net at Sta. V (27° 50′N, 126° 00′E) on 26–27 February 2003 in the Kuroshio frontal area of the southern East China Sea were examined. Copepods formed 99.0 % of larval gut contents, and larvae less than 5 mm body length (BL) in the 0–10 m layer fed mainly on copepod nauplii and copepod eggs while they hardly fed on highly mobile copepod copepodites which were the same size as eggs. Gut contents of larvae less than 5 mm BL showed differences between the 0–10 m layer and the 10–20 m layer, with potential reasons for such differences relating to visual acuity. Larvae of 5 mm BL or more fed mainly on copepod copepodites and copepod eggs at 0–30 m depth and mainly on copepod copepodites at depth greater than 30 m.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Sassa C, Konishi Y, Mori K (2006) Distribution of jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus) larvae and juveniles in the East China Sea, with special reference to the larval transport by the Kuroshio Current. Fish Oceanogr 15:508–518
Sassa C, Tsukamoto Y, Nishiuchi K, Konishi Y (2008) Spawning ground and larval transport processes of jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus in the shelf-break region of the southern East China Sea. Cont Shelf Res 28:2574–2583
Kasai A, Komatsu K, Sassa C, Konishi Y (2008) Transport and survival processes of eggs and larvae of jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus in the East China Sea. Fish Sci 74:8–18
Ochiai A, Umeda S, Taniguchi N (1984) Mortality of reared jack mackerel larvae and juveniles in relation to feeding density. Mar Ranching Program Prog Rep Jack Mackerel Prod 2:31–37 (in Japanese)
Masuda R (2006) Ontogeny of anti-predator behavior in hatchery-reared jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus larvae and juveniles: patchiness formation, swimming capability, and interaction with jellyfish. Fish Sci 72:1225–1235
Takahashi M, Sassa C, Tsukamoto Y (2012) Growth-selective survival of young jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus during transition from pelagic to demersal habitats in the East China Sea. Mar Biol 159:2675–2685
Kuwahara A, Suzuki S (1982) Vertical distribution and feeding habits of a horse mackerel Trachurus japonicus and a barracuda Sphyraena pinguis larvae in the western Wakasa Bay. Bull Kyoto Inst Oceanic Fish Sci 6:13–17
Sassa C, Tsukamoto Y, Konishi Y (2008) Diet composition and feeding habits of Trachurus japonicus and Scomber spp. larvae in the shelf break region of the East China Sea. Bull Mar Sci 82:137–153
Sassa C, Tsukamoto Y (2012) Inter-annual comparison of diet and daily ration of larval jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus in the southern East China Sea. J Plankton Res 34:173–187
Hirota Y, Uehara S, Honda H (2004) Ontogenetic changes of feeding selectivity in juvenile jack mackerel, Trachurus japonicus collected off south–east Kyushu, Japan. Fish Sci 70:100–107
Hirota Y, Honda H, Sakaji H, Uehara S (2009) Ontogenetic and diel variation in the vertical distribution of larvae of jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus in the East China Sea. Fish Sci 75:577–584
Fuentes CM, Quiroga F (2012) Net feeding in ichthyoplankton samples from the Paraná River. J Plankton Res 34:967–975
Ochiai A, Mutsutani K, Umeda S (1982) Development of eggs, larvae and juveniles of jack mackerel, Trachurus japonicus. Jap J Ichthyol 29:86–92 (in Japanese with English abstract)
Ochi H, Umeda S, Ochiai A (1984) Differentiation and development of the digestive organs of jack mackerel larvae and juvenile. Rep Usa Mar Biol Inst Kochi Univ 6:51–60 (in Japanese with English abstract)
Chihara M, Murano M (1997) An illustrated guide to marine plankton in Japan. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, p 1574 (in Japanese)
Yokota T, Toriyama M, Kanai F, Nomura S (1961) Studies on the feeding habit of fishes. Rep Nankai Reg Fish Res Lab 14:1–234 (in Japanese with English abstract)
Kozasa E (1970) Feeding of the larvae of jack mackerel, Trachurus japonicus-I. Bull Seikai Reg Fish Res Lab 38:79–86 (in Japanese with English abstract)
Kozasa E (1974) Feeding of the larvae of jack mackerel, Trachurus japonicus, II. Selectivity of food. Bull Seikai Reg Fish Res Lab 45:15–21 (in Japanese with English abstract)
Uchida K, Imai S, Mito S, Fujita S, Ueno M, Shojima Y, Senta T, Tahuku M, Dotsu Y (1958) Studies on the eggs, larvae, and juveniles of Japanese fishes. Lab Fish Biol Fish Dep Fac Agric, Kyushu University Press, Fukuoka, p 89 (Series 1, 86 plates) (in Japanese)
Job SD, Bellwood DR (2000) Light sensitivity in larval fishes: implications for vertical zonation in the pelagic zone. Limnol Oceanogr 42:362–371
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Dr. Izumi Kinoshita, Dr. Hideki Akiyama, and Dr. Takumi Mitani for their advice and assistance with our survey, and Ms. Mayumi Nakazawa and Ms. Hitomi Ono for their assistance in sorting the samples. We also wish to thank the captain and crews of the R/V Soyo-Maru, National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, for their cooperation in collection of samples. The present study was supported in part by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries under project “Researches on the fluctuation of recruitment of fish eggs and larvae by changes of spawning grounds and transport pattern in the East China Sea (FRECS)”.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hirota, Y., Honda, H., Sakaji, H. et al. Ontogenetic changes of feeding habits of larval jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus in the Kuroshio frontal area of the southern East China Sea. Fish Sci 82, 573–583 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-016-0989-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-016-0989-5