Faiza Oudjane

• Biodiversity Journal, 8 (3): 777-782

  Faiza Oudjane, Naziha Bourenane & Tahar Wafa
  Feeding habits and condition of the seabream Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758 (Perciformes Sparidae) in the gulfs of Skikda and Annaba (Northeast of Algeria)

  ABSTRACT
  The Feeding habits of the royal seabream Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758 (Perciformes Sparidae) in the northeast of Algeria were continuously monitored from April 2013 to May 2014. A study was carried out on the digestive content of 380 specimens, with a total length ranging between 18.1 cm and 48 cm. Overall, 1615 preys belonging to ten different phyla (Chordata, Echinodermata, Crustacea, Chlorophyta, Mollusca, Annelida, Bryozoa, Platyhelmintha, Nemathelmintha, Tallophyta), were computed. The reoyal seabream S. aurata has a widely varied diet. At a juvenile stage it is omnivorous, feeding on different benthic preys (i.e. shellfishes, molluscs, annelids, plants), on pelagic ones (fishes, eggs and Copepods), and Chlorophycea algae, as well. On a further stage, it shows a predatory feeding behavior, with molluscs constituting its preferential food as shown by the Main food index (MFI) values.

  Download PDF