Meager, J.J.; Loneragan, N.R.; Vance, D.J. and Williamson, I. (1998). Fish predation on juvenile banana prawns (Penaeus merguiensis) in a subtropical mangrove forest. Proceedings of the Australian Society for Fish Biology, Conference, Hobart Tasmania. September 24-25.

Juvenile banana prawns (Penaeus merguiensis) and their potential fish predators were sampled from a mangrove-lined creek in the Logan River, Queensland between January and April of 1998. The fish in the mangrove forest were sampled around high tide using fyke and stake nets and the mangrove creek was sampled around both high and low tide using gill nets, seine nets and block nets. Banana prawns were sampled using a beam trawl. A total of 16 species of fish were collected, but despite the high abundance of banana prawns in this creek (up to 18 prawns m-2), only five species of these fish were found with prawn-like crustaceans (natantids) in their stomachs. Three of these natantid predators, Marilyna pleurosticta, Platycephalus fuscus and Ambassis marianus moved well into the mangrove forest, whereas Arius graeffei was captured in the mangrove creek/ forest fringe and Aseraggodes macleayanus was captured only in the creek. The behaviour of A. graeffei, M. pleurosticta and P. fuscus will be studied in the laboratory to investigate the influence of mangrove structure and turbidity on banana prawn/fish predator interactions.

[Back to publications]