Food partitioning of two co-occurring Terapontid fishes, Terapon jarbua and Pelates quadrilineatus, in coastal areas of Trang Province, Southern Thailand

Abstract

This study clearly demonstrates that Terapon jarbua and Pelates quadrilineatus showed obvious food partitioning by their dietary ontogenetic changes. The larvae of both species fed mainly on the calanoid copepods. Juveniles of T. jarbua shifted to feed mainly on harpacticoid copepods, crabs and fish scales. Juveniles of P. quadrilineatus shifted to fed mainly on harpacticoid copepods and Lucifer spp. Adult fish shifted to fed on larger prey size. AdultT. jarbua fed mainly on fish and fish scales while adult of P. quadrilineatus fed mainly on large benthic animals, amphipods, bivalves, hermit crabs and polychaetes. The study on morphology and feeding structure development indicated that, the development of mouth, jaw, teeth, gill raker and intestinal length were important ontogeneticchange in the diet of fish. The ontogenetic change in the diet was the important strategies to reduce competition between these two coexisting species in coastal area of Trang Province.

Keywords

• food partitioning
• ontogenetic dietary shift
• Pelates quadrilineatus
• Terapon jarbua
• Trang Province