Ontogenetic shifts in feeding habits of orangemouth weakfish (Cynoscion xanthulus): From estuarine benthic feeder to marine nektivore top predator

Orangemouth weakfish is a highly important commercial and game fish species in the Tropical Eastern Pacific. However, studies assessing changes in its trophic ecology relevant to size, habitat (estuarine or marine), sex, and season are non-existent. We assessed its feeding habits and trophic position (TP) according to the aforementioned factors. Its dietary breadth was composed of 33 types of prey. The feeding habits and isotopic values (δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C) registered differences between sizes and habitat, indicating ontogenetic changes in habitat as well as TP, as small organisms (TP 3.1) inhabited the estuarine area, feeding on benthic and demersal organisms, whilst large individuals (TP 4.1) were found in the marine environment, preying on nektonic fauna. No differences were found according to sex or season. The isotopic niche showed that the different sizes of this species are generalist consumers with a clear separation between them and between habitats, as estuarine juvenile and preadult organisms have a larger isotopic niche than adult marine organisms, being an opportunist tertiary estuarine consumers during their early stages, and a top marine predator during the adult phase.