Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

1974

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Abstract

Data are presented on the feeding habits of Atlantic acanthurids based on stomach contents of 135 specimens. Acanthurus coeruleus is a browser or strict herbivore, while A. bahianus and A. chirurgus are grazers, ingesting a variety of foods including plants, animals,. sediment, and detritus. The pharyngeal apparatus in the three species appears to be adapted for the type of food ingested. Ontogenetic changes in the length of the alimentary tract relative to standard length are greatest in the transforming acronurid stage; the acronurus appears to go through a non-feeding period during transformation. Juvenile A. coeruleus eat relatively greater amounts of filamentous algae than adults- which eat coarser plants. Juvenile A. bahianus and A. chirurgus ingest a larger quantity of organic detritus while adults eat more sedimentary particles. Competition for food is not evident; there is overlap in the abundant primary foods and variability in the secondary foods ingested.

Extent

55 p.

Comments

Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1974.|Charles E. Schmidt College of Science|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1974.

Identifier

FADT13679

Format

pdf

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