Abstract
The feeding habits of Synodontis comoensis (Siluriformes, Mochokidae) have been studied for the first time. Specimens caught in the Comoé River (Comoé National Park, Côte d’Ivoire) had fed on different types of food including insects (Diptera, Ephemeroptera, Hymenoptera, and Isoptera), molluscs (gastropods and bivalves), oligochaetes, and macrophytes. The food items most frequently found in the stomach contents were chironomid larvae, oligochaetes, vegetable detritus, fruit, and gastropods. Correlation studies based on the index of preponderance of food items revealed noticeable variation in S. comoensis diet composition with fish size and season. Preferred food items of young fish were oligochaetes in the rainy season and vegetable detritus in the dry season. Food items preferred by larger fish were fruit and gastropods in the rainy season and chironomid larvae in the dry season.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the Staff of the Hydrobiology Laboratory of the Cocody-Abidjan University (Côte d’Ivoire) for assistance with fieldwork. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for very constructive remarks and suggestions. This study forms part of a Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad project entitled “Characterisation, utilisation and conservation of freshwater fish biodiversity in Côte d’Ivoire”, and was financed by the Belgian Directorate General for International Cooperation.
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Koné, T., Kouamélan, E.P., Yao, S.S. et al. First results of a study of the feeding habits of Synodontis comoensis (Siluriformes: Mochokidae) in a West African river (Comoé River, Comoé National Park, Côte d’Ivoire). Aquat Ecol 42, 35–42 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-006-9074-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-006-9074-y