Diet and Feeding Habits of the Greater Weever Trachinus draco (Trachinidae) from the Gulf of Tunis (Central Mediterranean Sea)Chérif, Mourad (Avtor) Benmessaoud, Rimel (Avtor) Rafrafi-Nouira, Sihem (Avtor) Capapé, Christian (Avtor) Trachinus draconorthern Tunisiadiet compositionfeeding behaviortrophic levelThe dietary patterns and the feeding habits of greater weever Trachinus draco (Linnaeus, 1758) are described based on an analysis of 280 stomach contents collected between May 2018 and March 2019 in the Gulf of Tunis. The vacuity index (%VI) was relatively low (23.92%). The proportion of empty stomachs varied significantly by season but not by sex. The most important preys were crustaceans (IRI = 54.55%), followed by teleosts (IRI = 32.93%), molluscs (IRI = 3.3%), and annelids (IRI = 0.05%), which were found occasionally. The specimen body size appeared to be the main factor influencing the diet composition of T. draco, as small specimens fed on crustaceans (IRI = 83.5%) and molluscs (IRI = 8.6%), and larger specimens consumed teleosts. The T. draco from the Gulf of Tunis is a carnivore species displaying a high trophic level (3.7 < TROPH < 4.5) and a positive allometry in the length-weight relationship. The species finds in the area sufficient resources to develop and reproduce.20232026-07-09 17:28:44Delo ni kategorizirano30995slImetniki avtorskih pravic na prispevkih so avtorji. CC BY-NC 4.0