LANGTON: FOOD HABITS OF YELLOWTAIL FLOUNDER 



Table 1.— Principal items in stomachs of yellowtail flounder, Limandaferruginea, by 5 cm length classes. Data are expressed as 

 a percentage of the total weight of stomach contents (+ indicates present but <0.01%). 



prey. Only two other crustaceans were of signifi- 

 cance in the yellowtail flounder's diet, namely, 

 the shrimps Crangon septemspinosa (1.89%) and 

 Dichelopandalus leptocerus (0.94%). 



All other taxonomically distinct groups con- 

 tributed only 4.96% of the weight of stomach con- 

 tents. Unidentifiable animal remains (17.18%) 

 and sand ( 16.92%) accounted for the remainder of 

 the total weight of stomach contents. 



Size-Related Feeding Habits 



Amphipods were the most important prey for 

 the smaller yellowtail flounder although stom- 

 achs from every size class of fish contained am- 

 phipods (Table 1). Polychaetes comprise a greater 

 percentage of the stomach contents of the larger 

 fish but, like amphipods, they occur in stomachs 

 from most every size class. The occurrence of 

 anthozoans in the larger size fish (>26 cm) might 

 reflect a tendency for larger yellowtail flounder 

 to be selecting "wormlike" prey. 



Geographic Comparison 



Composition of the diet of yellowtail flounder 

 in southern New England and on Georges Bank 

 was similar, with polychaetes and amphipods 

 accounting for 50 to 70% of the total weight of 

 stomach contents in both areas (Table 2). Poly- 

 chaetes were the major prey in both regions with 



TABLE 2.— Principal items in stomachs of yellowtail flounder, 

 Limandaferruginea, by geographic area in the northwest At- 

 lantic. Data are presented as a percentage of the total weight of 

 stomach contents (+ indicates present but <0.01%). 



Spiophanes bornbyx being the most important 

 species identified. On Georges Bank S. bornbyx 

 was three times more important as prey than in 



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