title: The Feeding Ecology of the Blue Swimming Crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758), at Kung Krabaen Bay, Chanthaburi Province, Thailand.
abstract: The natural diet of blue swimming crabs, Portunus pelagicus, was investigated from October 2008 to October 2009 using hand sampling and a crab gill net. The results showed that the major prey items in the stomach contents of P. pelagicus were teleost fish (29.61%), organic matter (20.69%), crustaceans (18.3%) and shelled molluscs (11.46%). Significant differences were found in diet composition between juvenile and mature crabs, between crabs inside and outside the bay and among seasons. In contrast, significant differences were not found between male and female crabs.
authors.affiliation: Biological Science Program, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
authors.forename: Chutapa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kunsook
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
authors.forename: Nantana
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gajaseni
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
authors.forename: Nittharatana
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Paphavasit
keywords: Blue Swimming Crabs; Feeding Ecology; Kung Krabaen Bay; Ontogenetic Shift; P. pelagicus