Mar Biol (2007) 151:1463–1470 DOI 10.1007/s00227-006-0598-4 123 RESEARCH ARTICLE The eVects of zooplankton swimming behavior on prey-capture kinematics of red drum larvae, Sciaenops ocellatus J. L. Beck · R. G. Turingan Received: 11 February 2006 / Accepted: 7 December 2006 / Published online: 9 January 2007  Springer-Verlag 2007 Abstract Most marine Wshes undergo a pelagic larval phase, the early life history stage that is often associ- ated with a high rate of mortality due to starvation and predation. We present the Wrst study that examines the eVects of prey swimming behavior on prey-capture kinematics in marine Wsh larvae. Using a digital high- speed video camera, we recorded the swimming veloc- ity of zooplankton prey (Artemia franciscana, Brachi- onus rotundiformis, a ciliate species, and two species of copepods) and the feeding behavior of red drum (Sci- aenops ocellatus) larvae. From the video recordings we measured: (1) zooplankton swimming velocity in the absence of a red drum larva; (2) zooplankton swim- ming velocity in the presence of a red drum larva; and (3) the excursion and timing of key kinematic events during prey capture in red drum larvae. Two-way ANOVA revealed that: (1) swimming velocity varied among zooplankton prey; and (2) all zooplankton prey, except rotifers and ciliates, increased their swimming velocity in the presence of a red drum larva. The kinematics of prey capture diVered between two developmental stages in S. ocellatus larvae. Hyoid- stage larvae (3–14 days old) fed on slow swimming B. rotundiformis (rotifers) while hyoid-opercular stage larvae (15 days and older) ate fast moving A. francis- cana. Hyoid-opercular stage red drum larvae had a larger gape, hyoid depression and lower jaw angle, and a longer gape cycle duration relative to their hyoid- stage conspeciWcs. Interestingly, the feeding repertoire within either stage of red drum development was not aVected by prey type. Knowledge of the direct relation- ship between Wsh larvae and their prey aids in our understanding of optimal foraging strategies and of the sources of mortality in marine Wsh larvae. Introduction Marine teleost Wshes have a bipartite life history, in which larvae spend their lives in the pelagic realm of the oceans and then recruit as juveniles into benthic or epibenthic adult habitats (Kingsford et al. 2002; Rut- tenberg et al. 2005). It is hypothesized that the strength of the recruiting class is determined by the magnitude of mortality during the larval phase of their life history. Although the exact causes of mortality in the wild are not known, it is often postulated that starvation and predation on larvae contribute to high mortality, espe- cially at the onset of exogenous feeding by Wsh (Houde 1987). In this study, we attempt to elucidate the rea- son(s) why Wsh larvae starve and suVer high mortality rates by examining how zooplankton prey behave and how their behaviors inXuence prey-capture perfor- mance in marine teleost larvae. The transition from endogenous to exogenous feeding during early ontogeny in marine Wshes, referred to as the Communicated by P.W. Sammarco. J. L. Beck · R. G. Turingan Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 West University Boulevard, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA e-mail: turingan@Wt.edu J. L. Beck (&) Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, 5007 Avenue U, Galveston, TX, USA e-mail: beckj@tamug.edu