Food Habits of Reef Fishes of the West Indies
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Food Habits of Reef Fishes of the West Indies John E. Randall Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology University of Hawaii, Honolulu And Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu Converted to digital format by Thomas F. Barry (NOAA/RSMAS) in 2004. Copy available at the NOAA Miami Regional Library. Minor editorial changes may have been made. FOOD HABITS OF REEF FISHES OF THE WEST pomadasyids and carangids feed primarily on zooplankton. 1 Sessile animal feeders: Abudefduf saxatilis and to a lesser extent several other damselfishes; INDIES the spadefish Chaetodipterus faber; the butterflyfishes and angelfishes (Chaetodontidae) (except C. argi); the filefishes Alutera scripta, Cantherhines macrocerus, and C. pullus; and the JOHN E. RANDALL trunkfishes Acanthostracion polygonius, A. quadricornis, and Lactophrys bicaudalis. The Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology angelfishes and C. macrocerus feed primarily on sponges; the sharp-nose puffer Canthigaster University of Hawaii, Honolulu and rostrata and some of the trunkfishes also feed in part on sponges. Abudefduf saxatilis feeds Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu on a wide variety of organisms, but the largest percentage of its stomach contents proved to be Zoanthus. The butterflyfishes consume mainly anthozoans (especially Zoanthus) and ABSTRACT the tentacular crowns of tube-dwelling polychaetes. Alutero scripta is unusual in feeding heavily on stinging coral (Millepora) and gorgonians. The three trunkfishes appear to show The stomach contents of 5,526 specimens of 212 species of reef and inshore fishes a preference for tunicates. Many of these fishes also feed in part on plants. representing 60 families were analyzed. Most of these fishes were collected by spearfishing “Shelled”-invertebrate feeders: The eagle ray Aetobatis narinari; the grunts Anisotremus in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The principal plant and animal groups eaten by the surinamensis, Haemulon carbonarium, H. macrostomum, and to a lesser extent H. plumieri and H. fishes are listed by percentage volume of the stomach contents under fish family and sciurus; the porgy Calamus bajonado, and to a lesser degree other species of Calamus; the species headings. When practicable, the food organisms were identified. Following the permit Trachinotus falcatus; the wrasses Bodianus rufus, Halichoeres spp. (except maculipinna), species accounts, the major groups of food organisms are discussed. Hemipteronotus novacula, and Lachnolaimus maximus; the triggerfish Balistes vetula; the trunkfish In the following summary, the various families, genera, and species of fishes are Lactophrys trigonus; the puffer Sphaeroides spengleri; and the porcupinefishes (Diodontidae). All grouped into major feeding categories, based on their principal food habits as determined of these fishes are able to crush their prey of gastropods, pelecypods, echinoderms, crabs, from the data of this report. and hermit crabs with their jaws or pharyngeal teeth. Plant and detritus feeders (food 50 per cent or more plant material) : The mullet Mugil Generalized carnivores (on a variety of mobile benthic animals such as crustaceans, worms, curema; the porgies Archosargus rhomboidalis and Diplodus caudimacula; the sea chubs and small fishes): The stingray Dasyatis americana; the moray Echidna catenata (all (Kyphosidae); the damselfishes Abudefduf taurus, Microspathodon chrysurus, Pomacentrus fuscus, crustaceans, mostly crabs); the snake eels Myrichthys acuminatus and M. oculatus; the and P. variabilis; the parrotfishes (Scaridae); the gobies Coryphopterus glaucofraenum and squirrelfishes Holocentrus spp.; the groupers Alphestes afer, Cephalopholis fulva, Epinephelus spp., Gnatholepis thompsoni (and probably the other gobiids as well); the angelfish Centropyge argi; Hypoplectrus spp., Petrometopon cruentatum, and Serranus tigrinus: the soapfish Rypticus saponaceus, the surgeonfishes (Acanthuridae); the blennies Blennius cristatus, B. marmoreus, Entomacrodus the snappers Lutjanus spp. (except L. cyanopterus which feeds on fishes, as to a lesser extent nigricans, and Ophioblennius atlanticus; the triggerfish Melichthys niger; and the filefish Alutera do L. apodus. L. jocu, and L. mahogoni); the grunts Anisotremus virginicus, Haemulon album, H. schoepfi. In addition, the following omnivorous fishes feed heavily on marine plants: the aurolineatum, H. chrysargyreum, H. flavolineatum, and H. parra; the mojarras (Gerreidae); the halfbeak Hemiramphus brasiliensis; the damselfishes Pomacentrus leucostictus and P. planifrons; drums Equetus lanceolatus and E. punctatus; the goatfishes (Mullidae); the tilefish Malacanthus the angelfishes Pomacanthus arcuatus and P. paru; the filefishes Alutera scripta, Cantherhines plumieri: the palometa Trachinotus glaucus; the wrasse Halichoeres maculipinna; the flounder pullus, and Monacanthus ciliatus, and the sharpnose puffer Canthigaster rostrata. Bothus ocellatus; the clinids Labrisomus spp.; the jawfishes Opisthognathus spp. (except O. Zooplankton feeders: The herrings (Clupeidae); the round herrings (Dussumieridae); the aurifrons); the scorpionfishes (Scorpaenidae); the flying gurnard Dactylopterus volitans; the garden eel Taenioconger halis; the halfbeak Hemiramphus balao; the soldierfish Myripristis trunkfish Lactophrys triqueter; and the batfish Ogcocephalus nasutus. jacobus; the silversides (Atherinidae); the creole fish Paranthias furcifer; the sea bass Serranus Ectoparasite feeders: Juvenile porkfish Anisotremus virginicus; the shark suckers Echeneis tortugarum; the fairy basslets (Grammidae); the hawkfish Amblycirrhitus pinos; the naucrates and Remora remora; the wrasses Bodianus rufus and Thalassoma bifasciatum (the former cardinalfishes (Apogonidae); the big-eyes (Priacanthidae); the sweeper Pempheris as juveniles, the latter as juveniles and adults except the terminal male phase); the goby schomburgki; the boga Inermia vittata; the snapper Ocyurus chrysurus (except large adults); the Elacatinus sp.; and juvenile angelfishes of the genera Holacanthus and Pomacanthus. In drum Equetus acuminatus; the scads Decapterus macarellus, D. punctatus, and Selar addition, the fairy basslet Gramma loreto and the young of the damsel-fish Microspathodon crumenophthalmus; the damselfishes Chromis cyanea and C. multilineata; the razorfish Hemipter- chrysurus occasionally feed in part on the crustacean ectoparasites of fishes. Probably none onotus splendens; and the jawfish Opisthognathus aurifrons. The following fishes also feed in of these fishes are facultative “cleaners.” The shark suckers, Thalassoma bifasciatum, and the part on animals of the plankton: the croaker Odontoscion dentex; the remoras (Echeneidae); young angelfishes appear to feed more on other organisms than on fish parasites. the damselfish Abudefdu saxatilis; the wrasse Thalassoma bifasciatum; the triggerfishes Fish feeders: Sharks of the families Orectolobidae (reported to feed heavily on various Canthidermis sufflamen and Melichthys niger; and the filefishes Monacanthus ciliatus and M. invertebrates as well) and Carcharhinidae; the tarpon tuckeri. In addition, the juveniles of many fishes such as the 1 Contribution from the Institute of Marine Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, P. R. 665 Megalops atlanticus (also known to feed on crustaceans and other invertebrates); the (Randall & Randall, 1960), tagging studies of reef fishes (J. Randall, 1960, lizardfishes (Synodontidae); moray eels of the genus Gymnothorax; the snake eel Ophichthus 1962a, 1963a), a chart of the marine environments of St. John (Kumpf & H. ophis; the needlefishes (Belonidae); the cornetfish Fistularia tabacaria; the trumpetfish Randall, 1961), studies on the grazing effects of herbivorous fishes on marine Aulostomus maculatus (about ¼ of the diet was shrimps); the barracudas (Sphyraenidae); plants (J. Randall, 1961a, 1965a), analysis of fish populations of natural and groupers of the genus Mycteroperca; the sea bass Serranus tabacarius (one specimen); the artificial reefs of St. John (J. Randall, 1963b), observations on the spawning of snapper Lutjanus cyanopterus; the cobia Rachycentron canadum (one specimen); jacks of the genera Caranx, Oligoplites, and Seriola; the little tuna Euthynnus alletteratus and mackerels of scarid and labrid fishes (Randall & Randall, 1963), biology of the West Indian the genus Scomberomorus; the flounder Bothus lunatus; and the frogfishes Antennarius topshell (Cittarium pica) (H. Randall, 1964), biology of the queen conch (Strombus multiocellatus (about 1/5 of the food was crustaceans) and A. scaber. A number of the above gigas) (J. Randall, 1964a), biology of the echinoid Diadema antillarum (J. Randall, piscivorous fishes fed in part on cephalopods, but in all cases except Ophichthus ophis (half Schroeder, and Starck, 1964), and food habits of the hogfish (Lachnolaimus of the stomach con-tents of four of these eels consisted of octopuses) and Euthynnus maximus) (J. Randall & Warmke, in press). Three additional papers are in progress alletteratus (36.6 per cent squids), the cephalopods were less than 18 per cent by volume of which are pertinent to the present study. One by J. Randall and Willard D. the stomach contents. Hartman will discuss sponge-feeding reef fishes. Another by J. Randall, Luis R. Almodóvar, and Francisco Pagán is concerned with the algae eaten by parrotfishes and the role of these fishes in the production of sediment. Jorge INTRODUCTION Rivera will report on the food habits and other aspects of the biology of sharks caught inshore off southwestern