Abstract
Jaw dentition, relative length of intestine, intestinal coiling patterns, stomach contents and feeding behaviour in the natural habitat were studied in four labrid species from Turkey: Thalassoma pavo, Coris julis, Symphodus ocellatus and S. roissali. In all four species, crustaceans and gastropod molluscs comprise the major components of the identified prey organisms, whereas considerable amounts of algal fragments were also found in the stomach contents of S. ocellatus and S. roissali. C. julis and T. pavo had the widest functional tooth bearing widths, respectively. S. roissali and S. ocellatus had the longest intestines, and intestinal coiling patterns of these species are slighthly more complicated in comparison to those of T. pavo and C. julis. Stomach content analysis, and morphological analysis of jaw dentition and intestine suggest that S. ocellatus and S. roissali are omnivorous species tending toward herbivory, while T. pavo and C. julis are carnivorous with a slight tendency toward omnivory.
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