• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.179-185
• /
• 2022

The feeding habits of Largehead hairtail Trichiurus japonicus was studied using 377 specimens collected in the Yellow Sea of Korea. The specimens ranged from 4.5 to 33.7 cm in Anal length (AL). T. japonicus consumed mainly a piscivore, such as Engraulis japonicus [percent index of relative importance (%IRI) =74.1%]. We calculated the trophic level as 3.84 for T. japonicus. Fishes were the main prey items for all seasons. The main fish prey during autumn and winter was E. japonicus, whereas those during spring and summer was Larimichthys polyactis. Fishes were the main prey items for all size groups (<15 cm, 15~20 cm, 20~25 cm, ≥25 cm). T. japonicus also showed size-related dietary shift from Spratelloides gracilis and E. japonicus to L. polyactis and T. japonicus. As the anal length of T. japonicus increased, the mean number of preys per stomach (mN/ST) and the mean weight of preys per stomach (mW/ST) tended to increased (One-way ANOVA, P<0.05). Seasonal and size-related shifts in dietary composition were investigated by PERMANOVA analysis, which showed significant variations among size classes and seasons.