DANIELS: FEEDING ECOLOGY OF ANTARCTIC FISHES 



Notothenia larseni 



82-105mm n=l6 



Trematomus scotti 



113-157mm n=19 



KEY 



SP - Sedentary polychaete 

 EP - Errant polychaete 

 Am - Amphipod 



P - Pycnogonid 



L - Lamellibranch 



O - Ophiuroid 



T - Tunicate K - Krill 

 I - Isopod * - Other 



63-99mm n=18 



108-144mm n=17 



Trematomus bernacchii 



60-78mm n=13 



107-160mm n=14 



180-233mm n=14 



Figure 4.— Size-associated changes in feeding in three nototheniids collected at the same 



locality on the same day. 



the pelagic Pleuragramma antarcticum and the 

 demersal N. nudifrons. In one Pagetopsis mac- 

 ropterus collected in Margurite Bay, both species 

 of krill found in the area were present. The 

 stomachs of 42 Chaenocephalus aceratus were 

 examined and found to be empty. 



DISCUSSION 



Antarctic fishes show great variety in the type 

 of prey consumed and the behavior used to cap- 

 ture prey. Yet all occupy a similar position in the 



community, that of a high-level carnivore. Of the 

 19 species included in this study, all consumed 

 actively moving prey frequently and, with the 

 exception of N. gibberifrons, active prey dom- 

 inated diets. Although the diets of the prey are 

 poorly known, at least some, like Bovallia 

 gigantea, Harmothoe spinosa, and Sterechinus 

 neumayeri, are themselves high-level carnivores 

 (Bone 1972; Brand 1976). 



In this study the nototheniids show the great- 

 est diversity in both diets and feeding behaviors 

 although a high degree of similarity in diet 



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