Feeding Habits and Diet of Torquigener flavimaculosus (Hardy & Randall in 1983) along the Tobruk Coast in the Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Libya

This study looked at the eating habits of 161 Torquigener flavimaculosus fish (from the Tetraodontidae family) living along the Tobruk Mediterranean coast. The research was done every month from January to December 2022. It focused on what the fish ate throughout the year, how their diet changed each month, how their diet varied with their size, and how much they ate. T. flavimaculosus eats many types of prey, including Polychaete worms (47.9%), snails (Gastropoda) (17.5%), clams (Bivalvia) (16.4%), Crustaceans (4.9%), sea urchins and starfish (Echinodermata) (4.2%), fish (3.4%), and other foods (5.7%). Polychaete worms, snails, and clams were eaten all year and by all size groups of T. flavimaculosus. The study found that as the fish grew bigger, they ate more polychaete worms, snails, and clams, but less crustaceans and sea urchins. Fish item appeared in the diet of T. flavimaculosus when they reached 13.5-14.4 cm in size (2.1%), and other food items were found in fish measuring 12.5 to 14.4 cm (0.7% to 3.6% repectivey). The fish T. flavimaculosus was very active in eating during spring (67.2%) and autumn (82.4%). However, they ate much less in winter (36.1%) and summer (44.5%).