Selective predation by crevalle jack Caranx caninus on engraulid fishes in the SE Gulf of California, Mexico

Feeding habits determine many aspects of living organisms, where it lives, the time of day that it is active, energy flow, biomass consumed and intra- and interspecific interactions, it which provides information to make predictions about the effects of fisheries on predator-prey relationships. Accurate predictions require a thorough understanding of predator diets and prey selection. In this study, specimens of the crevalle jack Caranx caninus were obtained between October 2012 and October 2014 in the SE Gulf of California, Mexico, in order to determine its feeding habits and prey selection. A total of 238 specimens were obtained, of which 94 (39.5%) had stomachs containing food and 144 (60.5%) had empty stomachs. A total of 10 prey items were identified, corresponding to seven families that included fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods. According to the Index of Relative Importance (IRI) the most important prey were Anchoa spp. (IRI = 91.2%), Engraulis mordax (IRI = 1.8%), and fish from the Clupeidae family (IRI = 1.0%). The crevalle jack’s diet did not change with the season (warm or cold). The crevalle jack was considered a tertiary predator (trophic level = 4.3) that tends to feed on a reduced number of prey, characterizing it as a specialist and selective predator of engraulid fishes (Levin’s index, Bi = 0.08; E = 0.6).