Feeding Habits of Bluefin Searobin Chelidonichthys spinosus around Jeju Island

摘要

The feeding ecology of bluefin searobin Chelidonichthys spinosus around Jeju Island was examined. Specimens were caught every autumn from 2004 to 2007. The primary prey items of C. spinosus included fish, shrimp, and crabs. Chelidonichthys spinosus preyed upon a wide range of sub-pelagic crustacean groups(e.g., Leptochela gracilis, Leptochela sydniensis). This species was also an opportunistic feeder, exploiting the available prey groups in each area(i.e., L. gracilis in the South Sea and East ChinaSea groups andL. gracih's andL. sydniensis in the Yellow Sea group). The main prey group of this species changed from demersal shrimp to pelagic shrimp with prey environmental changes. Observed ontogenetic shifts in diet were relatively clear despite substantial overlap between the 10 cm and 20 cm C spinosus groups.