Diet and feeding behaviour of juvenile and adult banana prawns Penaeus merguiensis in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia

Abstract

Juveniles in the estuary had fed mainly at night and on rising or near-high tides; the largest amount of food was found in prawns collected 2 h after high tide. Crustaceans, bivalves, gastropods and polychaetes were the most common food items in the guts of both juveniles and adults. Copepods and other crustaceans were significantly more common in the diet of juvenile prawns caught at night. Foraminiferans, nematodes and algae were found less frequently as the size of the prawns increased. Comparative analysis of foregut contents showed no difference between schooling and non-schooling adults. -from Authors