Feeding biology of the Roman Chrysoblephus laticeps (Pisces: Sparidae).

The sparid Chrysoblephus laticeps is a benthic carnivore that feeds on a wide variety of reef-associated prey. Small roman predominate on shallow subtidal reefs and prey non-selectively on crustaceans and polychaetes. Prey are ingested whole and prey size is apparently gape-limited. Adult fish are more selective, taking larger prey such as crinoids, cephalopods and crustaceans, and they can crush prey. Comparisons between roman and other co-occurring juvenile sparids indicate considerable dietary overlap.