Feeding and digestion in two cottid fishes, the freshwater Cottus gobio L. and the marine Enophrys bubalis (Euphrasen)

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Abstract
A comparative study of feeding and digestion in the freshwater Cuttus gobio and the marine Enoghrys bubnlis has been made. The digestion of live prey taken voluntarily, and of aqueous starch suspensions and of olive oil administered by stomach tube, are described at the macroscopic and histological level. Particular attention has been paid to the food capacity of the gut, the mechanical treatment of the food, and the role of mucus in the alimentary tract.Digestion, which is similar in the two species, is divided into three distinct phases, corresponding to the three morphologically separate regions of the post‐pharyngeal gut. The relative roles of each of the three regions in the digestion and absorption of food are assessed.No modification of gut structure or function in either species directly attributable to environmental salinity has been detected. The evidence suggests that the faster growth rate of the marine species may be due to the greater digestive‐absorptive capacity of its digestive system.

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