Food Habits of the Yellow Goosefish, Lophius litulon

Abstract

Stomach contents of 518 specimens of the yellow goosefish, Lophius litulon caught by the off-shore stownet in the southern waters of Korea were examined by means of the calculation of the frequency of occurrence number and weight percentages, and index of relative importance (IRI) in each prey organisms. Prey organisms of the yellow goosefish consist of fishes, crustaceans, cephalopods. Fishes were dominant prey group, and occupied in IRI of prey organisms. Four species of fish, Pseudosciaena manchurica Collichthys niveatus, Engraulis japonica, Trichiurus lepturus were dominant as to the IRI and occupied of the total IRI. P. manchurica was a dominant prey organism in predator's stomach through the year, and the other dominant prey organisms occurred intermittently with seasonal progress. P. manchurica was a dominant prey organism to all fish size, too. C. niveatus and E. japonica decreased in importance in the diet as the fish size increased concomitant with an increase in importance of T. lepturus. Mean species number and mean individual number of prey organisms increased with the fish size.