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Diet of Three Cryptobenthic Clingfish Species and the Factors Influencing It
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Marine Biology Station Piran, National Institute of Biology, Fornače 41, 6330 Piran, Slovenia
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Jožef Stefan Institute and Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova Cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Koroška Cesta 160, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
4
Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, Koroška Cesta 160, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
5
Natural History Museum Rijeka, Lorenzov Prolaz 1, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2024, 14(19), 2835; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14192835
Submission received: 5 June 2024
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Revised: 28 June 2024
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Accepted: 26 September 2024
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Published: 1 October 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fishes and Crustaceans: Biology and Ecology in a Changing Marine Environment)
Simple Summary
Clingfish are small fish species that spend most of their time hiding in various shelters on the seabed. Due to this way of life, their ecology is little known, although they are important for the ecosystem. The aim of the research was to investigate the diet of three clingfish species (Lepadogaster lepadogaster, L. candolii, and Apletodon incognitus) using a method based on the analysis of prey from their faeces. The results show that crustaceans are the most important prey for all three species, although the composition of the diet also depends on various factors, such as the size of the fish and the prey, the behaviour of the fish, the home range of the fish, and the availability of food. These results provide us with important information about the participation of clingfish in the food web and deepen our knowledge of the fish’s diet and the factors that influence it. The results also show that the occurrence of predatory fish depends on the presence of their prey.
Abstract
Cryptobenthic fish are small benthic fish species that normally live in various hiding places. Due to their large numbers, they are very important for energy transfer to higher trophic levels. However, due to their small size and hidden lifestyle, knowledge about them and their ecology, including their diet, is still limited. Using a non-destructive method based on faecal pellets, we investigated the diet of three clingfish species, Lepadogaster lepadogaster, L. candolii, and Apletodon incognitus, in the shallow northern Adriatic Sea. To better understand the results, we studied the fauna of potential prey in the habitats of the fish studied and also took fish specimens to observe their behaviour in the laboratory. The three species feed predominantly on crustaceans, particularly amphipods, copepods, and decapods. The proportion of the different taxa in the diet depends on the species of clingfish, the size of the specimens, and the size of the prey. In addition, the behaviour of the fish, the home range of the specimens, and the availability of food played an important role. The presence of certain crustacean groups in the environment also determines the occurrence of clingfish of different species and sizes.
