Food of the Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias undulatus, from Mississippi Sound and the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

The diet of the Atlantic croaker from Mississippi Sound has been examined for the first time. Over 83 taxa were encountered, or more than were reported from croaker in any other region. The authors also found 60 taxa, 36 of which overlapped with the above, in croaker from various offshore stations in the Gulf of Mexico. In Mississippi Sound the frequency of occurrence of items revealed primarily crustaceans followed by polychaetes, molluscs, fishes, and less common items, and, in the open Gulf, molluscs appeared slightly more often than in inshore croaker and than polychaetes in offshore fish. The diets were assessed according to length of fish, season, depth of water, and locality