Abstract

The food habits of five species of the family Sciaenidae,Bairdiella chrysura, Cynoscion regalis, Leiostomus xanthurus, Micropogon undulatus andStellifer lanceolatus, were examined in specimens of less than 200 mm standard length collected in estuaries between Georgetown, South Carolina, and Jacksonville, Florida.B. chrysura, M. undulatus andS. lanceolatus did not appear to be highly selective in their food habits;C. regalis fed heavily on the mysid shrimp,Neomysis americana, and on fish; andL. xanthurus was selective toward harpacticoid and calanoid copepods. The food habits of the five species of fish examined were relatively constant with season and location within the estuary; however, in general, larger food organisms were consumed as the sciaenids increased in size. The exception wasL. xanthurus which maintained the same food habits at all sizes examined.

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