Figure 1. — Five geographic areas of the northwest Atlantic composing the 

 samphng area lor flatfish food studies, 1969-72. 



(3.3"%), Ninoe nigripes (2.3"%), Nicomache lumbricalis (1.4%), 

 Onuphis spp. (1.4%) [O. conchylega {0.9'>Jo), O. opalina (OA'Vo), 

 O. quadricuspis (0.1%)], Lumbrineris spp. (1.3%) [L. fragilis 

 (0.6%), L. tenuis (0.4%)], Notomastus (1.1%) [N. latericius 

 (0.4%)], Potamilla (1.0%), Sabellides octocirrata (0.6%), Ampha- 

 rete acutifrons (0.6%), Pherusa (O.SVo), Stemapsis scutata (O.S'^o), 

 Brada spp. (0.8%) [B. granosa (0.4%), B. villosa (0.4%)], Ammo- 

 trypane aulogaster (O.lWo), and Praxillella (0.\%). The major prey 

 group within the arthropods was the Amphipoda (24.2%). Within 

 this order, 19 genera and/or species each contributed ^0.1% to 

 the diet. The following list is in decreasing order of importance at 

 the generic level: Leptocheirus pinguis (4.9%), Erichthonius 

 nibricomis (4.4%), Casco bigelowi (3.0%), Unciola irrorata 

 (2.4%), U. inermis(OA%), U. dissimilis {0.2%), Ampelisca agassizi 

 (1.5%), A. macrocephala{\.%%), A. vadorum (0.3%), Byblis ser- 



rata (1.1%), Photis (0.3%), Dyopedos (0.2%), Argissa hamatipes 

 (0.1%), Orchomenella minuta(0.\%), Harpinia propinqua(0.\%), 

 Paraphoxus episiomus (0.1%), and Stenopleustes (1.0%). The 

 remaining orders and families of arthropods listed in Table 1 are 

 each represented by a few species. For example, the Euphausiacea 

 that were identified to the species level were Meganyctiphanes 

 norvegica (1.9%), Thysanoessa inermis (0.8%), or T. gregaria 

 (0.2%). The Crangonidae were either Crangon septemspinosa 

 (1.4%) or Pontophilus brevirostris (0.5%), and the Cumacea were 

 for the most part all members of the genus Diastylis (2. 1 %). The 

 only pandalid shrimp was Dichelopandalus leptocerus (2.0%). The 

 Cancridae were identified at the species level as either Cancer irrora- 

 tus (0.8%) or C. borealis (0.4%). The other taxa were of little 

 importance as prey, and when combined, only account for 6.6% of 

 the diet. Within these groups, most of the prey were not identified 

 to a generic or specific level, and any that were identified accounted 

 for a very small percentage of the total weight of prey consumed. 



Summer Flounder, Paralichthys dentatus. — Forty-four summer 

 flounder were examined, but the stomachs of 82% of these fish 

 wCTe empty (Table 1). The prey from the eight stomachs containing 

 food was primarily fish (47.8%) and squid (51.0%). Two species of 

 fish were identified: silver hake, Merluccius bilinearis (26.1%), and 

 scup, Stenotomus chrysops (21.2%), and the squid was identified as 

 Loligo (43.6%). The only other animals identified to the sf>ecies 

 level were the Jirthropods Cancer irroratus (1.1%) and Dichelopan- 

 dalus leptocerus (0. 1 %). 



Fourspot flounder, ParaUctithys oblongus. — Fourspot flounder 

 were found to prey primarily on animals from three major taxa 

 (Table 1). Arthropods composed 40.7% of the diet with pandalid 

 shrimp (15.8%) being the most important crustacean group. 

 Dichelopandalus leptocerus accounted for most of the prey in this 

 family (10.6%), although the genus Pandalus was also represented 

 (1.0%). The Cancridae (8.8%) were second in importance among 

 the crustaceans. The rock crab, Cancer irroratus (5.0%), accoimted 

 for more of the diet than the jonah crab, C. borealis (0.8%), but 

 3.1% of the stomach contents represented by this family could not 

 be identified at the species level. Two other crustacean groups were 

 important as prey. Crangon septemspinosa (4.2%) accounted for 

 most of the Crangonidae consumed. Euphausiids were the only 

 other crustaceans of any significance in the diet and they were 

 almost exclusively Meganyctiphanes norvegica (3.7%), although 

 Thysanoessa raschii (<0.1%) was also identified in the stomach 

 contents. Most of the "Other Decapods" and "Other Crustacea" 

 were unidentifiable, although the crab, Munida, accounted for 

 1.0% of these remains. Fish were the second major category of 

 prey, accounting for 28.5% of the diet. The single most important 

 species preyed upon was the silver hake, Merluccius bilinearis 

 (21.0%). Other fish prey were unidentified gadids (1.6%); Gulf 

 Stream flounder, Citharichthys arctifrons (1.6%); witch flounder, 

 Glyptocephalus cynoglossus (0.4%); an alligator fish, 

 Aspidophoroides monopterygius (<0.1%); an unidentified cottid 

 (<0.1%); and other fish remains. The last major taxon of any 

 significance in the diet of fourspot flounder was the MoUusca 

 (19.4%), and specifically the class Cephalopoda (19.3%). Four dif- 

 ferent squid were identified: Loligo (2.4%), Illex illecebrosus 

 (1.8%), Rossia (1.4%), and Heteroteuthis tenera (<0.1%). The 

 remaining cephalopods were classified as unidentified Cir- 

 roteuthidae (2.6%), Decapoda (3.3%), or simply Cephalopoda 

 (7.8%). 



