CARR and ADAMS: CLEANING HABIT IN LEATHERJACKET AND SPOTTAIL PINFISH 



100 



90 



4/4 



ll/ll 



80 - 



70 



MYSIDS 



55 



z 



LU 



I- 



O 



o 



o 



< 



o 



I- 



(0 



60 



50 - 



40 - 



30 - 



20 



10 



FREE- 

 LIVING 

 COPE- 

 PODS 



MYSIDS 



FREE- 

 LIVING 

 COPE- 

 PODS 



ECTOnWAStTES 



FSFaS 



ECTO- 

 PARASITES 

 (PRIM 

 CALI80I0 

 COPEPOOS) 



19/20 



MYSIDS 



FREE- 

 LIVING 

 COPE- 

 POOS 



FISH 



SKIN, 



FLESH 



AND 



SCALES 



ECTO- 

 PARASITES 

 (PRIM 

 CALIOOIO 

 COPEPODS) 



21-25 



26-30 



31-40 



22/23 



FISH 



MYSIDS 



AND 

 SHRIMP 



FREE- 

 LIVING 

 COPE- 

 PODS 



FISH 



SKIN, 



FLESH 



AND 

 SCALES 



ECTO- 

 PARASITES 

 (PRIM 

 CALI(30IO 

 COPEPOOS) 



41-60 



21/25 



3/5 



MYSIDS 



AND 

 SHRIMP 



FREE- 

 LIVING 

 COPE- 

 PODS 



ECT0P»»*aTia 



MYSIDS 



AND 

 SHRIMP 



FREE- 

 LIVIN6 

 COPE- 

 PODS 



61-60 



86-101 



SIZE CLASS (mm) 



Figure 1. — Stomach contents of juveniles of Oligoplites saurus. Bar graph 

 for each size class shows percent of total stomach contents attributable to in- 

 dividual food items. Designation of sample size above each bar graph shows 

 fraction of stomachs analyzed which contained food. 



to the six size classes obtained in our collections. 

 Juveniles of this species go through a stage in 

 which ectoparasites of fish make a major contri- 

 bution to their diet. The relative contribution 

 of ectoparasites to the diet is at a maximum in 

 fish that are betweeen 26 and 40 mm long. Ecto- 

 parasites account for approximately 56% of the 

 stomach contents of fish 26 to 30 mm long and 

 approximately 48% of the contents of fish 31 to 

 40 mm long. The majority of the ectoparasites 

 consumed were caligoid copepods; a few were 

 branchi'irans, Argulus sp. In contrast, ecto- 



parasites constituted only 2 to 4% of the stomach 

 contents in fish less than 26 mm long or greater 

 than 60 mm long. Ectoparasites made up less 

 than 1% of the stomach contents of fish 86 to 

 100 mm long. 



The importance of food material obtained by 

 cleaning in juveniles of this species is even 

 greater if the contribution of bits of fish skin, 

 flesh, and scales is combined with that of ecto- 

 parasites (see Figure 1). In leather jackets be- 

 tween 26 and 60 mm in length, the total portion 

 of the stomach contents attributable to material 



1113 



