4 Food and Feeding Habits of the Big-eye Grunt, <i>Brachydeuterus auritus</i> (Valenciennes, 1831) in the Coastal Waters off Tema, Ghana

Abstract

Examination of 424 stomach contents of Big-eye grunt, Brachydeuterus auritus from May and September to December 2016 showed four major food groups. By a decreasing order of abundance, these are: crustacea (64%), fish (35%), molluscs (0.4%) and insects (0.3%). Anchovies were the commonest prey types, with a frequency of occurrence of 53.6%, followed, among the crustaceans, by lobster larvae (34.5%) and shrimp larvae (5.3%). Crab zoe larvae and crab shell had very low frequencies (<1.0% each). Molluscs, represented by squid and juvenile cuttlefish, and insects, represented mainly by chironomid larvae, both had very low frequencies (<1.0). A low feeding intensity was recorded in October and November, a period coinciding with the highest number of fish with empty stomachs. Conversely, a greater feeding activity was recorded in May, September and December, a period coinciding with the highest number of fish with ¼, ½, ¾ and full stomachs. The proportion of crustaceans in stomach contents increased significantly with increasing size of B. auritus, while the proportion of fish significantly decreased with age of fish. It is recommended that stomach content analysis of this fish species be replicated to cover all seasons and other geographical areas.