Relationship between Mouth Size of Hatchery-Reared Juveniles of Coral Trout, <I>Plectropomus leopardus</I> and Maximum Body Size of Damselfish, <I>Chromis viridis</I> as those prey

DOI

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • スジアラ人工種苗の口径と捕食したデバスズメダイの最大体サイズの関係

Search this article

Abstract

Relationship between the mouth size of hatchery-reared juveniles of the coral trout, Plectropomus leopardus and the maximum body size of the damselfish, Chromis viridis preyed on by the coral trout was investigated in the laboratory. Ten to 20 coral trout juveniles (TL range, 83-224 mm) and 60 damselfish (TL range, 9-75 mm) were stocked in a tank for two to five days, and the maximum body size of damselfish preyed on by the coral trout was estimated by measuring the total length of damselfish. Furthermore, the relationship between the total length and the maximum mouth size (vertical and horizontal internal dimensions) of coral trout and between the total length and the body height or width of the prey damselfish were examined. Coral trout captured damselfish by the head, and held the damselfish horizontally in its mouth before swallowing it whole. The mouth size of coral trout increased with increasing total length. The maximum body width of the damselfish preyed on by the coral trout was much smaller than the vertical height of coral trout mouth, while the maximum body height approximated to or was less than the horizontal width of the mouth. Consequently, it is considered that the horizontal width of mouth was the limiting factor for coral trout to prey on damselfish.

Journal

  • Aquaculture Science

    Aquaculture Science 51 (1), 35-40, 2003

    Japanese Society for Aquaculture Science

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top