NOTE Romanov and Zamorov: First record of Tluinnus albacares from the stomachi of Alepisaunis feiox 



387 



Figure 2 



lowfin tuna found in lancctfish stomach; viewed from left side (A) and right side (B). 



Studies show that fast-swimming animals, fishes of fam- 

 iUes Belonidae. Scombridae, Exocoetidae, Carangidae, Co- 

 ryphaenidae. in particular, and most squids of the family 

 Ommastrephidae, the ordinary food of tunas, are rare or 

 absent in stomachs of lancetfish. Matthews et al. (1977) 

 recorded one case of finding several frigate tunas of the ge- 

 nus A(/.v;s in the stomach of one lancetfish, but according 

 to CoUette,^^ these were juveniles only 3.9-4.3 cm long. A 

 small (35 cm-' in volume) juvenile swordfish (Xiphias gla- 

 dius) from a lancetfish stomach was reported by Williams 



(1967). Large slow-swimming fishes are generally found 

 in the stomachs of lancetfish (Kubota and Uyeno, 1970, 

 Fujita and Hattori, 1976). Cannibalism is also common 

 among lancetfish (Haedrich, 1964; Haedrich and Nielsen, 

 1966; Fourmanoir, 1969; Matthews et al., 1977; Moteki et 

 al., 1993; Zamorov etal.M. 



Collette, B. B. 1997. Personal commun. NMFS Systematic 

 Laboratory, National Museum of Natural History, 10"^ & Consti- 

 tution Ave. Washington DC, 20560-0153. 



