A survey on the diet composition of bartail flathead Platycephalus indicus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the northwestern region of the Persian Gulf (the coast of Khuzestan Province)

In order to evaluate the diet composition of bartail flathead, sampling was conducted from December 2009 to November 2011. In this study, a total number of 470 fish were measured, out of which 446 pieces were examined. The length-weight ratios were calculated as W=0.000005FL3.07 (n=198, R2= 0.82) for females, W=0.000009FL2.95 (n=248, R2=0.82) for males and W=0.000004FL3.10 (n=470, R2 =0.86) for total fishes. The analysis of FP and IRI results showed that fish (75%) is the main food source for bartail flathead, followed by shrimp (25%) as a secondary food source and crabs and cuttlefish (5%) as accidental food sources. Overall, the analysis of the stomach contents for bartail flathead indicated that this species is a moderate feeder.