Stomach content of three fishes; Caranx crysos (Mitchill, 1815), Sarda sarda (Bloch, 1793), and Sardinella aurita (Valenciennes, 1847), were analyzed for three months from August October 2006 to assess their feeding habits. Caranx crysos is classified as a carnivorous specialized zooplankton feeder, where its diet consists of 11 zooplankton items beside fish larvae, with an average of 47 organisms/ stomach. Its preferable food items were lamillibranch veliger (N% =72.2%), and Euterpina acutifrons (N% =13.8%). After the fish grew to a certain size (>15cm) the diet of the fish becomes more specialized and the amount of food was the highest at the smallest size group (22cm) the diet of the fish becomes more specialized and the food items decreased at the bigger size class; but the amount of food was the lowest at the smallest size class (20cm). Sardinella aurita is classified as omnivorous generalized plankton feeder, feeds on 73 plankton items, the average count of food/ stomach was 1773 organisms/stomach. Its preferable food items were Protopredinium depressum (N%= 41.3%), Dinophysis caudate (N%= 11.3%), and Oscillatoria irrigua (N%= 9.7%). As the fish grew to a certain size (13 cm), the number of prey species increased (65 items); also till this size the amount of food reached to its maximum, 2296 organisms/stomach.
Key words: Caranx crysos, Sarda sarda, Sardinella aurita, Feeding ecology, El Mex Bay, Mediterranean Sea.
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