MOURA, J. C.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/2321349429323616; MOURA, José Cícero de.
Resumen:
Diet and ecomorphology of Hoplias malabaricus (Bloch, 1794) (Characiformes) on
semiarid reservoirs located in Aurora, CE, northeastern Brazil. The trahira Hoplias
malabaricus is a common native fish in freshwater environments of Brazil. The present study
was conducted in a semiarid zone of northeastern Brazil, where aquatic environments are
subject to major pluviometric fluctuations due to extensive drought periods. The aim of the
present study was to investigate feeding preferences of H. malabaricus based on stomach
content analyses and distinguish ecomorphological patterns from individuals sampled on Santa
Barbara, Grossos and Tipi reservoirs, all located in Aurora, CE, northeastern Brazil. Fishes
were sampled using 35 m-long gillnets with 6 cm mesh size. Stomach content analyses
revealed a clear preference for shrimps. Based on the available literature, H. malabaricus
individuals are able to shift their diet from strict piscivory to aquatic invertebrates in the
presence of potential competitors. This shift may also explain the observed pattern in the
present study, given the occurrence of potential sympatric competitors on all reservoirs, thus
rendering shrimps as an important food item for the local H. malabaricus individuals.
Ecomorphological attributes were somewhat distinct from those of previous studies, but
morphological patterns related to habitat use and feeding behavior were observed.