Feeding behavior and follower fishes of Myrichthys ocellatus (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) in the western Atlantic

Abstract

This paper described aspects of feeding behavior of Myrichthys ocellatus in the Western Atlantic, using diving observations and additional data from literature. The feeding behavior of M. ocellatus was characterized by scanning the sand surface and searching for buried preys, using its head and tail as a searching tool. Twelve species of reef fish were detected as followers of M. ocellatus, including three new records of follower species. The food overlap index between M. ocellatus and most follower species was low.

Keywords

• Interspecific associations
• Goldspotted eel
• Food overlap