- Title
- Aspects of the biology of the doublesash butterflyfish, Chaetodon marleyi (Pisces: Chaetodontidae)
- Creator
- Vine, Niall Gordon
- ThesisAdvisor
- Hecht, Tom
- Date
- 1998
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Masters
- Type
- MSc
- Identifier
- vital:21103
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6396
- Description
- The doublesash butterflyfish, Chaetodon marleyi, indigenous to South Africa, is popular amongst marine aquarists. To provide a basis for the management of the species and assess its suitability for aquaculture, aspects of its biology were investigated. Specimens were collected between February 1996 and November 1997 from localities along the eastern Cape coastline of South Africa and from specimens in the RUSI fish collection. The dentition of C.marleyi is typical of non-coraline, benthic invertebrate feeding chaetodontids. The teeth are long, inwardly hooked and spatulate which allow easy grasping and manipulation of the prey. Stomach content analysis showed that the species fed predominantly on the tentacles of terebellid polychaetes with other polychaetes, crustaceans, hydro ids and ascideans contributing to the remainder of the diet. Juveniles had a larger volume of terebellid tentacles compared to adults which preyed more upon other polychaetes. The proximate composition (64.25% protein, 4.76% fat, 4.84% carbohydrate and 24.3 kJ/g total energy content) of the terebellid tentacles was determined suggesting a high energetic requirement of the fish or maximisation of feeding profit rates.
- Format
- 115 leaves, pdf
- Publisher
- Rhodes University, Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries Science
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Vine, Niall Gordon
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