Feeding habits of the skinnycheek lanternfish [Benthosema pterotum (Alcock, 1890)] in Kagoshima Bay, southern Japan

We examined the feeding habits of Benthosema pterotum in Kagoshima Bay. Benthosema pterotum undertook diel vertical migration and preyed in shallow waters at night. The most frequently consumed prey were copepods, and B. pterotum selectively foraged on poecilostomatoids. Poecilostomatoids were more predominant in the Kagoshima Bay zooplankton community than in neighboring sites, which suggested that the B. pterotum preference for poecilostomatoids may be an adaptation by the local population to prey availability. Benthosema pterotum probably plays an important role as a biological pump contributor and as a mediator that links secondary production and higher trophic levels.