Food habits of seastar Asteropecten polycanthus polycanthus muller and troschel from North-West Arabian Gulf

الملخص EN

A total of 158 specimen of seastar collected during the period from Feb.

1999 to Apr.

2000 from Khor Al- Umia (North-West Arabian Gulf).

The stomachs of all collected seastar were dissected and the food composition were analyzed.

Mollusca occurred in 87% of all stomachs containing food and contributed 94% of food volume.

The most important food items were Monodonata vermiculata, Mitrella blanda, Solen vagina, Paphia texilla.

There was no distinct seasonal difference in the composition of the diet, but tendency to minimize feeding activity in February-April, probably related to the spawning period.