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Observations on feeding habits of the common dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus (Linnaeus 1758) from the western Bay of Bengal

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Relation http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/15449/
https://www.alr-journal.org/articles/alr/abs/2021/01/alr210033/alr210033.html
10.1051/alr/2021022
 
Title Observations on feeding habits of the common dolphinfish,
Coryphaena hippurus (Linnaeus 1758) from the western Bay of Bengal
 
Creator Ghosh, Shubhadeep
Satish Kumar, M
Manas, H M
Rohit, Prathibha
Abdussamad, E M
Gopalakrishnan, A
 
Subject Food and Feeding
 
Description Coryphaena hippurus is a large pelagic species and constitutes an important by-catch in drift
gillnet, trolling and long-line fishing gears operated along the Bay of Bengal, northeastern Indian Ocean.
The present study, first from the region, is aimed at deciphering the feeding dynamics from 1150 individuals
collected from 2017 to 2019. 32.17% of the fishes had empty stomachs or was with food traces, 45.57% had
partially-full stomachs and 22.26% had full stomachs. The feeding intensity was inferred through stomach
filling and predator-prey weight ratio, which was higher in May and lower in January, and increasing as
increase in the fish size. Coryphaena hippurus is considered a piscivorous pelagic predator as pelagic
teleosts contribute more than half of the prey species. Major prey species were big-eye scad (27.3%), squid
(10.3%), crabs (9.3%), Indian mackerel (7.2%), Indian scad (5.9%), whitebaits (5.7%) and sardines (5.4%).
Scads and crabs were abundantly preyed during summer and winter, while clupeids and engraulids in
monsoon; however, no significant variations were observed in prey composition between sizes. Trophic
Level was 4.22 ± 0.15 and Levins Standardized Niche Breadth Index was 0.30. Dietary niche breadth was
higher during summer (0.48) and monsoon (0.33) and in fishes measuring 60.0–74.9 cm (0.51) and below
45.0 cm (0.48) indicating generalised feeding. This primary study from Bay of Bengal is the first
comprehensive report on trophodynamics for the species and would contribute to its management using
trophic interactions.
 
Publisher EDP Sciences
 
Date 2021-10
 
Type Article
PeerReviewed
 
Format text
 
Language en
 
Identifier http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/15449/1/Aquatic%20Living%20Resources_2021_Shubhadeep%20Ghosh.pdf
Ghosh, Shubhadeep and Satish Kumar, M and Manas, H M and Rohit, Prathibha and Abdussamad, E M and Gopalakrishnan, A (2021) Observations on feeding habits of the common dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus (Linnaeus 1758) from the western Bay of Bengal. Aquatic Living Resources, 34. pp. 1-12.