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Diet Composition Of Swordfish, Xiphias Gladius, Within The Straits Of Florida, Amy Marie Heemsoth
Diet Composition Of Swordfish, Xiphias Gladius, Within The Straits Of Florida, Amy Marie Heemsoth
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
A diet study of swordfish, Xiphias gladius, was conducted in the Straits of Florida from April 2007 to December 2008. The stomachs of 131 swordfish were analyzed. Thirteen species of teleosts, three species of cephalopods, and one species of crustacean were observed in the diet. Cephalopods dominated the swordfish diet by weight (73.38%), number (69.90%), and occurrence (80.91%) and ranked highest in importance in the diet when calculating the index of relative importance (IRI). Teleosts followed by weight (25.16%), number (26.34%), occurrence (68.18%), and IRI (3,510.97). The prey species with the greatest dietary importance was Illex sp followed by …