In this study, the feeding habits, age and growth of the king soldier bream, Argyrops spinifer (Forsskal, 1775), were investigated using 622 specimens (males, females, unidentified and unsexed), collected from coastal waters of Bushehr province (Persian Gulf) between May 2010 and April 2011. Total length of females and males ranged from 13.5 to 64.2 cm and from 15 to 61.20 cm, respectively. Of the total number of examined stomachs, 57 were empty (Vacuity index, VI = 9.2%). This percentage varied significantly (P 0.05) over the year, with a maximum number of empty stomachs recorded during the spring and a minimum recorded during the winter. The diet of the king soldier bream was composed of 52 different prey species, belonging to 9 main L ? =82.10 cm (TL), t 0 = - 2.39 years for females, and K =0.082, L ? =67.90 cm (TL), t 0 = - 2.88 for males and K =0.065, L ? =75.50 cm (TL), t 0 = - 3.21 for total population. There was a positive correlation between total length (TL) and weight (W) A. spinifer that was described by W= 0.054TL 2.681 (r 2 = 0.983) for females and W= 0.060TL 2.648 (r 2 = 0.983) for males and W=0.054TL 2.682 (r 2 = 0.983) for total population. Regarding the b values obtained, both sexes showed a negative allometric growth. The growth performance index (?`) was estimated at 6.02 and 5.94 for females and males respectively, indicating a faster growth rates for female A. spinifer . Key words: Argyrops spinifer , feeding habits, age, growth, Persian Gulf
