Snowy Grouper Feeding 
109 
Table 3. Items recovered from the digestive tracts of 5,088 snowy grouper caught 
off North Carolina (less than 5% of the fish were estimated to have contained 
food), 1985-86. 
Item 
Number 
(673) 
Percent 
Volume 
(5,442.2mL) 
Percent 
Crustacea 
613 
91.08 
3,946.3 
72.51 
Crabs 
605 
89.90 
3,923.3 
72.09 
Portunus spinicarpus 
494 
73.40 
1,492.3 
27.42 
Ovalipes stephensoni 
19 
2.82 
584.0 
10.73 
Cancer irroratus 
8 
1.19 
779.0 
14.31 
Acanthocarpus alexandri 
13 
1.93 
206.5 
3.79 
Calappa angusta 
44 
6.54 
434.5 
7.98 
Cancer borealis 
2 
0.30 
130.0 
2.39 
Stenocionops spinimana 
9 
1.34 
154.0 
2.83 
Myropsis quinquespinosa 
10 
1.49 
99.5 
1.83 
Parthenope pourtelesii 
3 
0.45 
22.0 
0.40 
Nibilia antilocapra 
1 
0.15 
9.0 
0.17 
Portunus floridanus 
1 
0.15 
6.5 
0.12 
Stenorynchus seticornis 
1 
0.15 
6.0 
0.11 
Solenocera atlantidis 
7 
1.04 
12.0 
0.22 
Parasquilla coccinea 
1 
0.15 
11.0 
0.20 
Fish 
42 
6.24 
952.5 
17.50 
Unidentified remains 
22 
3.27 
341.5 
6.27 
Peprilus triancanthus 
7 
1.04 
69.0 
1.27 
Ophichthidae 
3 
0.45 
17.0 
0.31 
Myrophis punctatus 
2 
0.30 
13.0 
0.24 
Ophidiidae 
1 
0.15 
5.0 
0.09 
Macrorhamphosus scolopax 
1 
0.15 
20.0 
0.37 
Lepophidium jeannae 
1 
0.15 
39.0 
0.72 
Rhomboplites aurorubens 
1 
0.15 
325.0 
5.97 
Antigonia capros 
1 
0.15 
83.0 
1.53 
Hemanthias vivanus 
1 
0.15 
3.0 
0.06 
Synodus poeyi 
1 
0.15 
4.0 
0.07 
Congridae 
1 
0.15 
33.0 
0.61 
Mollosca 
16 
2.38 
536.0 
9.85 
Gastropoda 
1 
0.15 
4.0 
0.07 
Conus delessertii 
1 
0.15 
4.0 
0.07 
Cephalopoda 
15 
2.23 
532.0 
9.78 
Unidentified squids 
10 
1.49 
37.0 
0.68 
Loligo pealei 
3 
0.45 
275.0 
5.05 
Illex illecebrosus 
2 
0.30 
220.0 
4.04 
Miscellaneous contents 
2 
0.30 
7.5 
0.14 
Rock fragment 
1 
0.15 
4.0 
0.07 
Fishing lure skirt 
1 
0.15 
3.5 
0.07 
