The diet of the brown wrasse (Labrus merula) was investigated in studying the gut contents of 101 individuals sampled between April and July in Vrhovnjaci Archipelago and 93 individuals sampled between April and June at Island Palagruža, eastern middle Adriatic, Croatian waters. Decapods and bivalves were the major prey categories in both areas. Algae and gastropods were also frequently eaten but in much smaller amounts. The volume of the major food categories did not vary significantly with fish length. Fish longer than 20 cm did consume greater volumes of bivalves than smaller fish. The diet of both sexes was very similar in Vrhovnjaci  (Cλ = 0.90), while in Palagruža niche overlap between sexes was lower (Cλ = 0.63).