Abstract

The diet of the grey mullet (Mugil cephalus L.) was investigated in the Lagos Lagoon (high brackish) habitat in Nigeria from February 2004 – January 2006. The highest number of empty stomachs was recorded in October 2004, while the lowest was in December 2005. The highest number of empty stomachs was recorded in the small sized group (Standard length, 4.5 – 12.4 cm), while the least occurred in the large sized (Standard length, 20.5 – 28.4 cm). The fish fed throughout the year with no remarkable seasonal variation in the type of food consumed. Ten major food items were identified: algae, diatoms, desmids, plant materials, annelids, crustaceans, bivalves, fishes, detritus and sand grain. The small and large sized-fish groups did not feed on desmids and annelids throughout the investigation.

Key words: Lagos Lagoon, Mugil cephalus, stomach contents, food items, detritus.