Stomach Contents and Feeding Habits of Diaramma pictum and Pomadasys argenteus Family of Haemulidae from Coasts of Aden Governorate – Yemen

Abstract

The Feeding habits of two species fish, D. pictum and P. argenteus (Family: Haemulidae), were studied monthly from July 2021 to June 2022. Contents of 214 stomachs of D. pictum and 223 stomachs of P. argenteus  were analyzed using Fullness index and percentage of occurrence, According to vacuity index for to species, the percentage were 45.3% and 44.4% respectively. The contents of the stomach were examined, it was found that the food of  D. pictum consisted of  crustaceans, fish, molluscs and sea grasses. The food to P. argenteus consists of crustaceans, molluscs and fish, where crustaceans constituted the main food for two species D. pictum and P. argenteus by 42.1% and 45.7% respectively. It was observed that the increased of longitudinal group followed increased percentage of fish increased as food and disappeared of the percentage of molluscs and sea grasses in D. pictum. In P. argenteus crustaceans dominated in the various longitudinal groups, while molluscs appeared from length of 25 cm and varied in their  proportions in long group, likewise, fish appeared in a group of 32 cm in length and differed in their proportions in the large groups.