Resumen

SANCHEZ SOTO1, Saúl. Capture of an unexpectedly large prey by the fish Centropomus undecimalis (Perciformes: Centropomidae). Cuadernos de Investigación UNED [online]. 2020, vol.12, n.2, pp.593-600. ISSN 1659-4266.  http://dx.doi.org/10.22458/urj.v12i2.2835.

Introduction: The fish Centropomusundecimalis ingests whole prey by swimming rapidly and extending its jaws. It is a non-violent predator that follows a predator-prey size relationship. Objective: To inform a case of predation of C. undecimalis, a disproportionally large prey. Methods: Freshly caught fish from El Carmen lagoon, Tabasco, Mexico, were examined. Results: a Gobionellus oceanicus that was 56% the length of its predator, was found inside a C. undecimalis; the prey was bent in the stomach of its predator and had a bite wound in the middle of its body. Conclusions: apparently, C. undecimalis caught the prey with a single bite and swallowed it by folding the body in half: prey length is not the only determinant of when a prey is successfully captured by this fish.

Palabras clave : Coastal lagoon; Common snook; Highfin goby; predation; southeast Mexico.

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