International Journal of
Fisheries and Aquaculture

  • Abbreviation: Int. J. Fish. Aquac.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2006-9839
  • DOI: 10.5897/IJFA
  • Start Year: 2010
  • Published Articles: 233

Full Length Research Paper

Food habits of two species of Pseudotolithus (Sciaenidae) off Benin (West Africa) nearshore waters and implications for management

F. K. E. NUNOO
  • F. K. E. NUNOO
  • Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 99, Legon, Ghana.
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E. SOSSOUKPE
  • E. SOSSOUKPE
  • Département de Zoologie, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, B.P. 526 Cotonou, Bénin.
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A. ADITE
  • A. ADITE
  • Département de Zoologie, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, B.P. 526 Cotonou, Bénin.
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E. D. FIOGBE
  • E. D. FIOGBE
  • Département de Zoologie, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, B.P. 526 Cotonou, Bénin.
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  •  Accepted: 22 April 2013
  •  Published: 30 June 2013

Abstract

Food habits of Pseudotolithus senegalensis and Pseudotolithus typus in Benin nearshore waters were investigated for 18 months because of the importance of croakers in artisanal catches. Frequency of occurrence, numerical abundance and gravimetric composition were utilized in computing the percent index of relative importance of each food item. The major dietary components of the two species were shrimps. The food composition of P. senegalensis and P. typus did not show any variation with season. The diet composition of the two species of Pseudotolithus portray them as specialized feeders depending on similar food sources with low number of dietary prey items. Shrimps and to some extent juvenile fishes which constitute the important preys of Pseudotolithus spp., remain an essential link of the trophic system off Benin nearshore waters. Therefore, the dynamics of the abundance of these shrimps and juvenile fishes must be assessed for sustainable production of their predators.

 

Key words: Benin, diet composition, feeding intensity, food habits, Pseudotholithus, shrimps.

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This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

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