feeding habits of scartelaos tenuis in bushehr province, iran.

this study was conducted to determine the feeding habits of mudskipper scartelaos tenuis. one hundred and eighty one specimens were collected in the northern part of persian gulf in bushehr province during spring 2007 to winter 2008. specimens caught by hand and dip net. specimens fixed in 10% formalin and transferred to laboratory. stomach contents were analyzed; possibility and frequency of prey were calculated with standard methods. results showed that in s.tenuis copepods with ip index of 69.18% was the dominant and specific food item. there was no seasonal variation in food items. stomach emptiness was the highest (32%) in winter and lowest (10%) in autumn. the rlg index was 1.4 that indicated the fish was omnivorous. totally stomach emptiness index was 20% that suggested the fish being a voracious feeder.