Influence of sex, age and season on the feeding habits of the flatfish Solea senegalensis

Synopsis The Senegal sole Solea senegalensis is a commercially valuable fish and it is beginning to be cultured, in an extensive way, in fish farms in southern European countries. Little is known about its feeding habits, unlike other Solea species such as the common sole Solea solea. This paper studies the feeding habits of a wild population of Senegal sole. Differences according to sex, age and season were statistically analyzed. A total of 376 fish, aged between two and six years old, were studied over a single year. Twenty eight different families of prey were identified, belonging, in order of abundance, to crustaceans, polychaetes and molluscs. The Senegal sole trophic profile (preys items with a Simpson's dominance index 2) was: Glyceridae, Nephtydidae, Onuphidae, Apseudidae, Ampeliscidae and Upogebiidae. Feeding habits of Senegal sole were significantly influenced by sex, age and season, with crustaceans being the prey most affected.This paper is dedicated to the memory of Daniel Ray Ogilvie. who died 7 January 1995.