DIET OF 2 ANTARCTIC DRAGONFISH (PISCES, BATHYDRACONIDAE) FROM THE INDIAN SECTOR OF THE SOUTHERN-OCEAN

The diet of Cygnodraco mawsoni Waite 1916 and Gymnodraco acuticeps Bou lenger 1902 (Pisces: Bathydraconidae) was studied in the Cooperation a nd Cosmonaut seas in the depth range 200-400 m during the summer 1988. Stomach content analysis showed that both species are piscivorous pre dators but with different feeding habits. Cygnodraco mawsoni fed mostl y on young notothenioid fish, regularly complementing these with pelag ic, Euphausia superba, and benthic crustaceans, such as amphipod gamma rids and mysids. In contrast, G. acuticeps relied mostly on mesopelagi c fish of the family Myctophidae. Although C. mawsoni and G. acuticeps occupy similar depths in the Cosmonaut Sea, different feeding habits appear to limit the probability of interspecific competition for food.