Diet And Food Partitioning Between Juvenile Ofepinephelus Coioides(Perciformes: Epinephelidae) And Other Co-Existing Juvenile Fishes In Shallow Waters Of Thailand And Malaysia

This work examined diet composition of the juvenile orange-spotted grouper,Epinephelus coioides, and its trophic association with other juvenile fish species in tropical estuarine habitats during recruitment. From December 2015 to March 2016, juveniles were collected, their stomachs excised, preserved and analyzed. Small shrimps and amphipods, especiallyGrandidierellasp. andElasmopussp., were the most common food resources sharing among the most species.Epinephelus coioidespredominantly ingested small shrimp,Grandidierellasp.,Elasmopussp. and fish larvae and had the greatest trophic overlap withPalatrus scapulopunctatus. Fish size, location and month significantly affected fullness indices and food items diversity inE. coioides. It is clear that the larger the size ofE. coioidesand its mouth opening, the larger the size of items ingested. This study confirms the ontogenetic dietary shift of juvenileE. coioidesduring recruitment season by starting as amphipod and small shrimp feeder and shifting to shrimp and fish larvae predator as they grow. This finding is fundamental to understanding how juvenileE. coioidescope with different conditions and its association with other co-existing species during the recruitment period.