Food resource use among five flatfish species (Pleuronectiformes) in Wellington Harbour, New Zealand

Abstract

Abstract Gut content analyses of 1068 samples from flatfish in Wellington Harbour were carried out to determine patterns of food resource use among five species co‐occurring there. Diets differed between species and, for some species, varied with location, season, and time of day. Two broad patterns of food resource use were recognised. Firstly, four species (Rhombosolea plebeia, R. leporina, Peltorhamphus novaezeelandiae, Pelotre‐tis flavilatus) fed on benthic infauna and epifauna while the fifth species (Amoglossus scapha) fed on benthic epifauna and pelagic organisms. Secondly, three species (R. plebeia, R. leporina, P. novaezeelandiae) had relatively diverse diets whiph closely overlapped while two species (P. flavilatus, A. scapha) had relatively narrow diets and little dietary overlap. The same species show different patterns of food resource use elsewhere in New Zealand; it is proposed that local conditions contribute to the observed patterns in Wellington Harbour.