2013-08-222013-08-221989http://hdl.handle.net/10827/10556The feeding habits of whitebone porgy. Calamus leucosteus. were investigated by examining stomachs of specimens collected from hard bottom reef habitat on the southeastern continental shelf and by comparing stomach samples with benthic samples and with stomach samples from four other sparids collected from the same habitat. Whitebone porgy were found to feed mainly on small hard-shelled species of gastropods. pagurid decapods. and sipunculids. Polychaetes. pelecypods. barnacles, and fishes were also eaten. Fishes and echinoderms were consumed by larger individuals. Whitebone porgy selected invertebrate species that were not abundant in benthic samples from the reef. suggesting that these fish forage on sand bottom fauna. Patterns of diet overlap with other reef-associated sparids appeared to be related to feeding morphology and feeding habitat. Overlap in diet between whiteuone porgy and southern porgy. Sfenotomus aculeatus. was low. although both species forage on sand bottom organisms. Pinfish. Lagodon rhomboides. fed mainly on a sessile reef amphipod that was rarely consumed by whitebone porgy. Whitebone porgy had a higher diet over·lap with sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus, and with red porgy. Pagrus pagrus, because all three species fed on barnacles not consumed by other sparids examined.DocumentCopyright status undetermined. For more information contact, South Carolina State Library, 1500 Senate Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201.Whitebone porgyText