Diet and feeding habits of Spicara maena and S. smaris (Pisces, Osteichthyes, Centracanthidae) in the North Aegean Sea

Abstract

      In the present paper we studied the diet of two centracanthid species, Spicara maena and S. smaris, in the N Aegean Sea. Overall, 282 and 118 individuals were examined, respectively. Both species preyed upon zooplankton, notably Copepoda (54.3 and 63.5%, respectively). S. maena included in its diet a wider variety of food items (36 taxa) compared to S. smaris (12 taxa). The individual trophic levels for both species ranged from 3.00 to 4.50 (mean values ± strandard error: 3.21±0.058 for S. maena and 3.05±0.068 for S. smaris). Given their trophic position and local abundance, they play a crucial role in the flux of energy from low to high trophic levels of the Aegean benthic and pelagic food webs.