Abstract
The dietary composition of juvenile Trematomus newnesi, trawled at Potter Cove, South Shetland Islands, in the summers 2004–2005 and 2005–2006 was analysed using frequency of occurrence (F%) and dietary coefficient Q (%) methods. The samples consisted exclusively of immature specimens in the range 4–15.4 cm (total length) and are complementary to those of larger fish from the same site, including adults, which were analysed in previous work. Benthic-demersal organisms such as gammaridean amphipods and harpacticoid copepods were the main (coefficient Q) and most frequent (F%) prey. The importance of the smaller and larger main prey diminished and increased, respectively, during ontogeny. Pelagic krill, being negligible in the diet of the small and medium size fish categories, became secondary food, but only for fish larger than 12 cm. Other taxonomic groups occurred scarcely and constituted occasional food. They were mostly benthic, such as gastropods, bivalves, isopods, cumaceans, and algae, with the exception of an insignificant number of pelagic ostracods and calanoid copepods. Unlike the more pelagic/planktivorous mode of life known for late juvenile-adult stages of T. newnesi, including cryopelagy, present results indicate that early juvenile fish remain sheltered among macroalgae beds preying on the associated community of demersal-benthic organisms.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Carlos Bellisio, Luis Vila and Oscar Gonzalez for their help in the field activities. We are very grateful to Drs. G. Alonso and F. Momo for the identification of the amphipods and to Lic. E. Dinofrio for the identification of the calanoid copepods. The manuscript was kindly reviewed by Prof. J. Eastman and Dr. J. Montgomery.
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Barrera-Oro, E.R., Piacentino, G.L.M. Feeding habits of juvenile Trematomus newnesi (Pisces, Nototheniidae) at Potter Cove, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Polar Biol 30, 789–796 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-006-0238-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-006-0238-y