Barracuda

Abstract: Little evidence is available on how juvenile fishes utilise seagrass beds and adjacent mangroves as feeding habitats. In this study we tested the degree to which Caribbean mangroves are utilised as feeding grounds by the fish community from adjacent seagrass beds. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses were performed on several potential food items from seagrass beds and adjacent mangroves, on muscle tissue of 23 fish species from seagrass beds on a Caribbean island (Curacao, Netherlands Antilles), and on juveniles of 2 common reef fish species, Haemulon flavo- lineatum and Ocyurus chrysurus, from seagrass beds in 7 bays on 5 Caribbean islands. Only the herbivore Acanthurus chirurgus and the carnivore Haemulon chrysargyreum appeared to feed predominantly in the mangrove habitat, whereas the carnivores Mulloidichthys martinicus and O. chrysurus (only on 2 islands) showed a stable carbon signature suggestive of food intake from the mangrove as well as the seagrass habitat. The piscivore Sphyraena barracuda foraged on fish school- ing at the mangrove/seagrass interface. For the other 18 seagrass fish species, which contributed 86% of the total seagrass fish density, the contribution of food sources from the mangroves was minor to negligible. The same was true for H. flavolineatum and O. chrysurus on most of the other Caribbean islands. The results contrast with the situation in the Indo-Pacific, where intertidal mangroves serve as important feeding habitats for fishes from adjacent systems during high tide. This difference is most probably explained by both the absence of large tidal differences on Caribbean islands and the greater food abundance in seagrass beds than in mangroves.

Abstract: Ram feeding is the process by which a predatory fish uses a high-velocity lunge or chase to overtake its prey. This study compares the strike and prey capture behaviors and kinematics of three species of ram-feeding fishes: Florida gar Lepisosteus platyrhincus, redfin needlefish Strongylura notata, and great barracuda Sphyraena barracuda. These ram-feeding piscivores are morphologically similar with fusiform bodies, posteriorly placed dorsal and anal fins, and large, conical teeth. Strike and prey capture kinematics for five individuals of each species were recorded with high-speed video. Pre-strike behavior in L. platyrhincus consists of a slow stalk, resulting in the close, lateral positioning of the predator’s head relative to the prey. Lepisosteus employ a sideways lunge of the head during the strike, which lasts only 25–40 ms and is the most rapid strike among these three species. Strongylura notata and Sphyraena barracuda exhibit longitudinal orientation to the prey before the strike, followed by a high velocity, head-on lunge, initiated by an s-start in Sphyraena barracuda. Prey capture in adult L. platyrhincus and Strongylura notata is characterized by the jaws closing on the prey, with the prey held orthogonal to the jaws. This is followed by manipulation using the inertia of the prey to reposition the prey head first, and then suction transport into the buccal cavity. Prey capture in juvenile Sphyraena is accomplished by closing the jaws after the prey has entered the buccal cavity, resulting in possible ram transport of the prey with no oral manipulation under these experimental conditions. Although these three species all employ ram feeding for prey capture of elusive prey, each species has a unique repertoire that appears to minimize hydrodynamic constraints and prey response, utilize locomotory capabilities, and may be suited to each species’ specific habitat.

Abstract: Biscayne Bay is a shallow subtropical lagoon on Florida's southeastern coast that is bordered to the west by the mainland and to the east by barrier islands and keys. Fish assemblages inhabiting two types of mangrove-lined shoreline that encompass the Bay were examined using a visual 'belt-transect' census method over four consecutive seasons. Several significant differences were evident between shoreline habitats in terms of fish species composition, taxonomic richness and taxon-specific densities; seasonal changes and fish size-structure differences were few. The mangrove shorelines along the mainland (ML) consistently harbored less fish taxa than those on the leeward side of the islands and keys (LK), but harbored higher densities of several euryhaline forms (i.e., killifishes and livebearers). Densities of fishes that are typically associated with coral reef habitats (i.e., snappers and grunts) tended to be higher within LK vs ML mangrove shorelines, but there were exceptions (e.g., great barracuda, Sphyraena barracuda). For five fish species, length-frequency distributions were compared between the Bay's mangrove shorelines and nearby coral reef habitats. These data comparisons lent partial support to an ontogenetic 'mangrove-to-reef' migration model for only two of the five species examined. Results suggest that these shoreline habitats play varying ontogenetic and trophic roles, depending on location, season and fish species Biscayne Bay's mangrove shoreline fish assemblages appear to reflect: (1) proximity of the mangroves that they occupy to offshore reef habitats; (2) salinity regime along the shoreline; and (3) water depths within the mangrove forest interior. The fish assemblage information collected here may serve as a 'baseline' in future assessments of fishing impacts or the effects of other anthropogenic changes to Biscayne Bay and its watershed.