Diet of Coryphaena hippurus (Coryphaenidae) associated with FADs in the Ionian and Southern Tyrrhenian Seas

The stomach contents of 300 dolphinfish Coryphaena hippurus caught in the FAD fishery off North-East and South-East Sicily (central Mediterranean) were analyzed to study the natural diet of this species. Dolphinfish were collected from August 1994 to January 1995 and from July 1995 to November 1995, and included individuals of 0+ age group (11.0-72.5 cm SL). Juvenile teleosts were by far the dominant prey item by frequency of occurrence and by number, irrespective of the area concerned and of predator size and sex. In a limited number of cases only, the numerical percentage of crustaceans was higher than teleosts. Differences in the diet were recorded according to size, sex, and area of collection. Only one prey item (juvenile Balistes carolinensis) is a typical component of the FAD assemblage.