Stomach contents of the caribbean pomfret Brama caribbea (Mead, 1972) from stomach contents of great pelagic predators from southwestern equatorial atlantic

Abstract

The Caribbean pomfret, Brama caribbea, is a common food item of pelagic predators in the Southwestern Equatorial Atlantic. Stomach contents of 185 B. caribbea obtained from stomach contents of great pelagic predators were analyzed to know the food spectra, and so determine which portion of the micronekton takes place in its feeding habits. The main food items were Euphausiacea, the hiperiids Brachyscelus crusculum and Phrosina semilunata, the fishes Myctophidae and Acanthurus sp., the cephalopods Enoploteuthidae, Cranchiidae and Ommastrephidae, and the heteropods. The diet composition of B. caribbea was 86.8% similar to the composition of the regional micronekton collected by midwater trawl