Diet of two species of fish family Cichlidae (Astronotus ocellatus and Cichla pinima) introduced in the Paraguaçu River, Bahia
Analysis of the diet of introduced fish species allows us to understand their trophic position in the community, their level of predation, and possibly to identify the if and when they act as competitors and/or predators. This paper aims to describe the diet of the tucunaré, Cichla pinima, and of th...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
2014-12-01
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| Series: | Biotemas |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/biotemas/article/view/2175-7925.2014v27n4p83 |
| Summary: | Analysis of the diet of introduced fish species allows us to understand their trophic position in the community, their level of predation, and possibly to identify the if and when they act as competitors and/or predators. This paper aims to describe the diet of the tucunaré, Cichla pinima, and of the apanhari, Astronotus ocellatus. Both species originated from the Amazon basin and were introduced into the Paraguaçu River. Ninety-two specimens were analyzed, and both species showed a diversified diet composed of 20 different food types. For C. pinima, fish (IAi = 35.2%) Ephemeroptera insects (IAi = 31.7%) and molluscs (IAi = 21.2%) were the most important food types. Ephemeropteran insects were highly prevalent in the diet of A. ocellatus, corresponding to over 98% of IAi. The high prevalence of insects in the diet may be related to the high number of juveniles among the specimens analyzed. The presence of native fish in the stomach contents of tucunarés deserves particular attention, because the voracity of this fish can lead to extinction of native species. |
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| ISSN: | 0103-1643 2175-7925 |