Diet composition and food habits of fish species from the Setiu Wetland, Setiu, Terengganu

Abstract

A total of 192 fish stomachs of 17 species from the Setiu Wetland of Terengganu were analyzed to determine the diet composition and describe food habits of the fishes presenting. 20 prey items were found and categorized into eight groups namely algae, annelida, cnidaria, crustacean, fishes, mollusca, nematode and zooplankton. The variety and characteristics of diet composition among species was discussed using indices which are composition in numerical, composition by gravimetric and frequency of occurrence. The most important food items in the stomach for each species and overall specimen were showed by the Index of Relative Important (/RI). The highest value of IRI was found in bivalve (IRI = 356.911), indicates that they are relatively important in the fish community at the studied place. In order to describe the food habits among species, niche breadth, (B), was used which described the range of food taken or utilize by fishes. By this method, found that species utilizing a broad range of food items were Ephinephelus malabaricus (Avg. B = 2.551) followed by Leiognathus equulus (Avg. B = 2.120) which mean predators are tend to feed on variety of food items. Fish then being grouped and classified through their feeding habits which are carnivore, herbivore, omnivore or planktonivore and in term of their ability consuming range of food whether they are specialist or generalist.