Population Structure and Feeding Behavior of the Stomatopod Crustacean Kempina mikado (Kemp & Chopra, 1921) in the East China Sea

Abstract

The population structure and feeding behavior of the edible stomatopod crustacean Kempina mikado (Kemp & Chopra, 1921) was studied from samples captured with bottom trawls inthe East China Sea. The sex ratio (female:male) was 1.64:1. Four size-class groups were discriminated for each sex which may correspond to one to four year-old cohorts. Gut analysis showed that this animal is a typical carnivore and mainly ate the tentacular clubs of the squid Loligo edulis and fish, regardless of sex and body size. From the present data, the suspected heavy predation on commercially important penaeid prawns by K. mikado was not confirmed.