Food Preference of Purple‐Spotted Bigeye (<i>Priacanthus tayenus</i> Richardson 1846) in Northern Coast of Java, Indonesia

ABSTRACT Diet is one of the essential information used in the management of fisheries resource. The objective of this study was to assess the dietary preferences, index of preponderance, trophic level, food niche breadth, and food overlap of purple‐spotted bigeye ( Priacanthus tayenus ) caught from the northern coast of Java, Indonesia. A total of 407 fish samples were collected from July to October 2023. Each fish sample was measured for total length and body weight. Fish were then dissected to determine sex, gut length, gut volume, and diet composition. Data analysis included relative gut length, diet composition, frequency of occurrence, trophic level, index of preponderance, food niche breadth, and food overlap. The result showed that the purple‐spotted bigeye is a carnivorous fish (trophic level ranges from 3.88 to 4.18), whose main food is fish and shrimp. Based on the niche breadth value, purple‐spotted bigeye from East Java were more diverse in finding food (niche breadth = 0.26) than from West Java (niche breadth = 0.06) and Central Java (niche breadth = 0.09). The purple‐spotted bigeye species from West Java and Central Java exhibited a high level of competition in their search for food, as indicated by a food overlap value of 0.998.