Shedding light on the diet of the Lessepsian yellowspotted puffer Torquigener flavimaculosus Hardy and Randall, 1983 in the Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

The stomach contents of 104 individuals of Torquigener flavimaculosus from Cyprus were examined. The analysis revealed that it is an omnivorous species with a preference to animal prey, especially invertebrates with limited mobility (crustaceans, molluscs, echinoderms). The study of the length-weight relationship indicated a negative allometric growth for both sexes. It seems that its preference to consume invertebrates, its high toxicity due to high concentrations of tetrodotoxin in its tissues and some other biological characteristic reinforce its characterisation as invasive and monitoring actions should be designed for such species.