Food selection by laboratory-reared larvae of the scaled sardineHarengula pensacolae(Pisces, Clupeidae) and the bay anchovyAnchoa mitchilli(Pisces, Engraulidae)

✍ Scribed by R. Detwyler; E. D. Houde

• Book ID: 104743049
• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1970
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 816 KB
• Volume: 7
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0025-3162
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00367491

✦ Synopsis

Food selection by laboratory-reared larvae of sealed sardines Harengula pensacolae, and bay anchovies Anchoa mitchilli, was compared. Natural plankton was fed to the larvae during the 22 days following hatching. Food levels in the rearing tanks were maintained at an average of 1,600 to t,800 potential food organisms per liter. Larvae of both species selected as food copepod nauplii, copepodites, and eopepods; initial feeding was on organisms of 50 to 75 ~ body width. Larvae ofH. pensacolae averaged 4.2 mm in total length at hatching and those of A. mitchilli about 2.0 ram. H. pensacolae larvae grew about 1.0 mm per day and A. mitchilli 0.70 mm per day. The mean number of food organisms in each digestive tract was greater in H. pensacolae than in A. mitchilli, and the difference in number increased as the larvae grew. Average size of food organisms eaten increased for both species with growth, because of selection by the larvae; the average size of eopepodites and copepods in digestive tracts increased at a faster rate in H. pensacolae than A. mitchillL A. mitchilli longer then 8 mm did not eat copepod nauplii.