• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.642-647
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• 2016

Postlarval and juvenile anchovies Engraulis japonicus were collected using a gape net with wings in the coastal waters of Yeosu in July and August 2015, and their gut contents were analyzed. The size range of the postlarvae was 11.0-24.2 mm (notochord length) and that of the juveniles was 25.1-37.4 mm (standard length). Guts were empty in 64.5% of postlarvae and in 51.7% of juveniles. The dominant prey organisms in the guts of both postlarvae and juveniles were copepoda. Calanoida were important prey organisms for postlarvae and were dominated by nauplii of Paracalanus sp. and Calanus sp. as well as unidentified copepod naupill. Calanoida were also important in the diets of juveniles, whose gut contents were dominated by Paracalanus sp. and Cirripedia. Gut compositions were significantly different (P<0.05) among three body size levels in postlarvae and juveniles. As the body size of the postlarvae and juveniles increased, Calanoida constituted a larger proportion of the gut contents, while the proportion of copepod nauplii decreased.