Crevalle jack, continued 



large fish consumed various clupeids, carangids, and 

 sparids (Saloman and Naughton 1984). Large fish 

 appear to be more opportunistic than smaller ones, but 

 food availability seems to a major factor in determining 

 diet since it changes between sizes, seasons, areas, 

 and years. Gulf menhaden is a favorite food (Breuer 

 1949, Swingle and Bland 1974) as well as scaled 

 sardine, anchovies, Spanish sardine, Atlantic bumper, 

 pinfish, halfbeaks, crevalle jacks, and Atlantic 

 cutlassfish. After fish, crustaceans such as penaeid 

 shrimp or portunid crabs are the second most impor- 

 tant prey item depending on area. In addition, numer- 

 ous other fish are consumed as well as squid, bivalves, 

 gastropods, echinoderms, sea grasses, algae, sand, 

 and wood (Darnell 1958, Odum 1971, Benson 1982, 

 Saloman and Naughton 1984). 



Biological Interactions 



Predation : Known predators include larger, fast swim- 

 ming predators such as great barracuda and blackfin 

 tuna (Berry 1959). 



Factors Influencing Populations : Parasites observed 

 on this species include: Nematodes- Ascaris sp.; Ces- 

 todes- Tetrarhyncus bisculatus; Trematodes- Disto- 

 mum appendiculatum, D. tenue, Gasterostomum 

 arcuatum, and G. gracilescens (Linton 1904). 



Personal communications 



Adams, Daniel R. Copano Causeway State Park, 

 Rockport, TX. 



Ditty, James G. Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, 

 LA. 



References 



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