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Comparative Study of the Diet of Glandulocaudinae and Tetragonopterinae (Ostariophysi: Characidae) in a Small Stream in Southern Brazil

2003; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 38; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1076/snfe.38.2.95.15932

1744-5140

Gustavo Graciolli, Marco Aurélio Azevedo, Filipe Augusto Gonçalves de Melo,

Fish Ecology and Management Studies

Abstract The diet of two species of Glandulocaudinae (Diapoma speculiferum and Pseudocorynopoma doriae) and two of Tetragonopterinae (Hyphessobrycon luetkenii and Astyanax fasciatus) was studied. Specimens were collected during ten months between 1995 and 1996 in a portion of the Ribeiro River, in Barra do Ribeiro, Brazil. Stomach contents were analyzed using three measurements: frequency of occurrence, percentage composition and an index of feeding importance. Both glandulocaudine species fed mainly on allochthonous insects, with Diapoma speculiferum showing high frequencies and abundance of microcrustacea and remains of higher plants during some months of the year. On the other hand, for both species of Tetragonopterinae, allochthonous insects showed low frequencies and were less abundant. Hyphessobrycon luetkenii had an omnivorous diet, with remains of higher plants, algae and microcrustacea being the main items. The diet of Astyanax fasciatus consisted mainly of microcrustacea and remains of higher plants, but other items such as insects, algae, fish and fish eggs were also important. These results suggest that the two species of Glandulocaudinae feed more closely to the water surface than do the two species of Tetragonopterinae, and that among the Glandulocaudinae, Pseudocorynopoma doriae is a more typical surface feeder than Diapoma speculiferum.