The foraging ecology of two pairs of congeneric demersal fish species: importance of morphological characteristics in prey selection

The feeding habits of two sympatric species pairs of demersal fish ( Mullus barbatus-Mullus surmuletus, Serranus cabrilla-Serranus hepatus ) which occupy the shallow coastal area (25–30 m) in Iraklion Bay were investigated from samples collected on a monthly basis (August 1990 to August 1992). Stomach content analyses revealed that all of them were carnivores, feeding mainly on benthic invertebrates, and that each species consumed a narrow range of prey species with no significant dietary overlap. The morphology of their feeding apparatus was compared to examine the effect of any morphological differences on food selection and resource partitioning between the fish species. The species could be distinguished on the basis of the size of their mouth gape, the number of gill rakers and the length of their intestine. This study shows that each species pair follows a different strategy segregating along food niche dimensions. In particular, M. barbatus and M. surmuletus segregate their feeding niche consuming different prey taxa with similar sizes whereas S. cabrilla and S. hepatus differ considerably with respect to the degree to which prey species contribute to their diets coupled with differences in mean prey sizes.