Diet Composition of the Penaeid Shrimp, Melicertus Kerathurus (Forskål, 1775) (Decapoda, Penaeidae) in the Aegean Sea.

The diet composition of adult and juvenile individuals of the penaeid shrimp, Melicertus kerathurus was determined, based on the analysis of 145 and 48 specimens, respectively, collected off and inside Pinios estuary (N.W. Aegean Sea). The adult individuals displayed a diversified diet, mainly based on Mollusca, Crustacea, and Polychaeta. The diet of the juvenile individuals is also diverse, with Crustacea being the most dominant prey category. Feeding activity of the juvenile M. kerathurus, which are also active predators, seems to be higher than that of the adults. Multidimensional analyses demonstrated that the diets of the juvenile and adult individuals were significantly different. This should probably be attributed to corresponding differences in the composition of the benthic assemblages of the open sea (adult individuals) and inside Pinios estuary (juveniles), as well as to developmental differences between the adults and the juveniles that affect their feeding behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]