Ecology Summary - Gunnellichthys monostigma

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Main Ref.	Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene, 1990
Remarks	Found over open sandy areas, sometimes with sparse plant growth. Reported to be solitary and feeds on small benthic and pelagic crustaceans (Ref. 2334). Reported by Strasburg (1967) to be common over sandy lagoon bottom in 6 - 20 feet where it hovers 6-12 inches above the substrate and when approached, it dives headfirst into narrow burrows in the sand. Stomach contents include amphipods, harpacticoid copepods, inshore pelagic copepods (Oithona and Acrocalanus), ostracods, shrimps, and crab fragments; thus, this species apparently forages on benthos and can also capture zooplankton (Ref. 48240).

Main Ref.

Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene, 1990

Remarks

Found over open sandy areas, sometimes with sparse plant growth. Reported to be solitary and feeds on small benthic and pelagic crustaceans (Ref. 2334). Reported by Strasburg (1967) to be common over sandy lagoon bottom in 6 - 20 feet where it hovers 6-12 inches above the substrate and when approached, it dives headfirst into narrow burrows in the sand. Stomach contents include amphipods, harpacticoid copepods, inshore pelagic copepods (Oithona and Acrocalanus), ostracods, shrimps, and crab fragments; thus, this species apparently forages on benthos and can also capture zooplankton (Ref. 48240).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Gunnellichthys monostigma may be found.

Habitat

Substrate
Substrate Ref.
Special habitats
Special habitats Ref.

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

Feeding

Feeding type	mainly animals (troph. 2.8 and up)
Feeding type Ref.	Myers, R.F., 1991
Feeding habit	variable
Feeding habit Ref.	Myers, R.F., 1991

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	Original sample		Unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition
From individual food items	3.30	0.41			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.

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