TROPHIC RELATIONSHIPS OF FIE SPECIES OF COMMERCIAL INTEREST IN CARTAGENA BAY, COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN

Abstract

Cartagena Bay is a highly productive habitat which supports important aquatic communities and is considered an estuarine environment. During the sampling season, fie commercial fih were captured: ladyfih (Elops smithi), machuelo (Opisthonema oglinum), mullet (Mugil incilis), sea bass (Centropomus ensiferus), and corvina (Cynoscion jamaicensis), all which stomach contents were analyzed. From all the fih captured, 82.6% presented contents in their stomachs, which were separated into 57 items, such as benthic microalgae, dinoflgellates, cyanophytes, sponges, mollusks, annelids, crustaceans, and fih. According to the Importance Relative Index (IRI), E. smithi, C. ensiferus, and C. jamaicensis were classifid as third order consumers, O. oglinum as a second-order consumer, and M. incilis as fist order consumer. The most contrasting result compared to other studies, is the found for O. oglinum, suggesting that this species is not only a fiter feeding, but also a scale eater (lepidophagy).