Foraging and prey selection by bluespotted sunfish Enneacanthus gloriosus (Holbrook) in backwater, vegetated ponds in coastal Mississippi

Bluespotted sunfish are diurnal foragers in coastal Mississippi preying mai nly on cyclopoid copepods, amphipods, cladocerans, chironomids, ostracods, and gastropods. Cyclopoid copepods, cladocerans, chironomid larvae and olig ochaetes were collected in submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV)/SAV-associate d sediments throughout the year but were most abundant in the warm (April-S eptember) months. Ostracods, amphipods, and hydracarinids were also collect ed in SAV/SAV-associated sediments throughout the year but tended to be mos t abundant during fall, winter and early spring (October-April). Fish great er than or equal to 20 mm standard length (SL) selected 87.5% of the availa ble prey from SAV/SAV-associated benthos compared to fish < 20 mm SL, which selected only 40%. Mean annual electivity values suggested random prey sel ection. The only obvious difference in diet was that fish greater than or e qual to 20 mm SL consumed gastropods and amphipods while fish < 20 mm SL ra rely consumed amphipods and never consumed gastropods. Bluespotted sunfish exhibit an opportunistic feeding behavior and apparently feed outside the S AV when small but shift into SAV as they grow.