Abstract
The diet of 223 specimens of Mormyrus rume (Mormyridae) from the Bia River on which a hydro-electric dam was built in 1959, was studied in relation to locality, season and fish size. A feeding index was computed by combining the occurrence, numerical and weight percentages of the items identified in the stomach contents. This index showed that M. rume in the river ate principally invertebrates, especially chironomid larvae. In contrast, M. rume from the man-made lake contained mostly phytoplankton. This difference was statistically significant. In the lake, chironomid larvae and Bacillariophyceae constituted the main source of the diet of young fish. In larger specimens, Chaoborus sp. formed the main part of the diet. No significant temporal variation occurred in the dietary composition. The overall food composition was similar in each locality of the Bia River from one period to another.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bigorne, R., 1990. Mormyridae. In C. Lévêque, D. Paugy & G. G. Teugels (eds), Faune des poissons d'eaux douces etq saumâtres d'Afrique de l'Ouest, 1. M.R.A.C., Tervuren & O.R.S.T.O.M., Paris: 122–184.
Blake, B. F., 1977. Food and feeding of Mormyrid fishes of lake Kainji, Nigeria, with special reference to seasonal variation and interspecific differences. J. Fish Biol. 11: 315–328.
Corbet, P. S., 1961. The food of non-Cichlid fishes in the lake Victoria basin, with remarks on their evolution and adaptation to lacustrine conditions. Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 136: 1–101.
Da, K. P., 1992. Contribution à la connaissance du phytoplancton de la mare du complexe piscicole du Banco (Côte d'Ivoire). Doctorat 3ème cycle, Université Nationale, Côte d'Ivoire.
Daget, J., 1954. Poissons du Niger supérieur. Mém. I.F.A.N. 36: 68–103.
Dejoux, C., J. M. Elouard, P. Forge & J. L. Maslin, 1981. Catalogue iconographique des insectes aquatiques de Côte d'Ivoire. Rapport O.R.S.T.O.M. 42: 178.
Dierl, W. & W. Ring, 1992. Guide des insectes: Description, Habitat et Moeurs. Delachaux & Niestlé, 237 pp.
Elouard, J. M., 1981. Diptères: caractères généraux, clés systématiques et familles peu importantes. In J. R. Durand & C. Lévêque (eds), Flore et faune aquatiques de l'Afrique Sahelo– Soudanienne, 2. O.R.S.T.O.M., Paris: 553–567
Gherbi-Barré, A., 1983. Biologie de Trisopterus luscus (Linné, 1758) Gadidae de la Baie de Douarnemez (reproduction, croissance, régime alimentaire). Thèse 3ème cycle, Université de Bretagne Occidentale.
Gosse, J. P., 1963. Milieu aquatique et l'écologie des poissons dans la région de Yangambi. Ann. Mus. r. Afr. c. 116: 113–270.
Gosse, J. P., 1984. Mormyridae. In J. Daget, J. P. Gosse & D. F. E. Thys Van Den Audenaerde (eds), Check-List of the Freshwater Fishes of Africa CLOFFA1. M.R.A.C., Tervuren & O.R.S.T.O.M., Paris: 63–122.
Hay, C. J., B. J. Van Zyl & G. J. Steyn, 1996. A quantitative assessment of the biotic integrity of the Okavango river, Namibia based on fish. Wat. SA 22: 263–284.
Hopkins, C. D., 1981. On the diversity of electric signals in a community of mormyrid electric fish in West Africa. Am. Zool. 21: 211–222.
Hugueny, B., S. Camara, B. Samoura & M. Magassouba, 1996. Applying an index of biotic integrity based on fish assemblages in a West African river. Hydrobiologia 331: 71–78.
Hureau, J. C., 1970. Biologie comparée de quelques poissons antartiques (Nototheniidae). Bull. Inst. Océanogr. Monaco 68: 1–244.
Hyslop, E. J., 1980. Stomach contents analysis, a review of methods and their application. J. Fish Biol. 17: 411–429.
King, R. P., 1989. Distribution, abundance, size and feeding habitat of Brienomyrus brachyistius (Gill, 1862) (Teleostei: Mormyridae) in a Nigerian rain forest stream. Cybium 13: 25–36.
Kouamélan, E. P., Gourène, G., Teugels, G. G., N'Douba, V. & D. F. E. Thys van den Audenaerde, 1997. Diversité morphologique du tube digestif chez 39 espèces de poissons africains et relation avec la classification ichtyologique. J. afr. zool. 111: 109–119.
Kouassi, N., 1978. Données écologiques et biologiques sur les populations d'Alestes baremoze (Joannis), poisson characidae du lac de barrage de Kossou. Thèse de Doctorat, Abidjan.
Lauzanne, L., 1976. Régimes alimentaires et relations trophiques des poissons du lac Tchad. Cah. O.R.S.T.O.M., sér. Hydrobiol. 10: 267–310.
Lauzanne, L., 1988. Les habitudes alimentaires des poissons d'eau douce africains. In C. Lévêque, M. N. Bruton & G. W. Ssentongo (eds), Biologie et écologie des poissons d'eau douce africains. O.R.S.T.O.M., Paris: 221–242
Lowe-McConnell, R. H., 1969. Speciation in tropical freshwater fishes. Biol. J. linn. Soc. 1: 51–75.
Lowe-McConnell, R. H., 1975. Fish Communities in Tropical Freshwaters: Their Distribution, Ecology and Evolution. Longman, London & New York, 337 pp.
Lowe-McConnell, R. H., 1991. Ecological Studies in Tropical Fish Communities. Cambridge University Press, 382 pp.
MacDonald, W. W., 1956. Observations on the biology of chaoborids and chironomids in Lake Victoria and on the feeding habits of the elephant snout fish (Mormyrus kannume Forsk.). J. anim. Ecol. 25: 36–53.
Mound, L. & S. Brooks, 1995. Insectes. Paris, Hachette, 159 pp.
Needham, R., 1962. A Guide to the Study of Freshwater Biology. San-Francisco Holden Day, Inc., 105 pp.
Paugy, D., 1978. Ecologie et Biologie des Alestes baremoze (Pisces, Characidae) des rivières de Côte d'Ivoire. Cah. O.R.S.T.O.M., Sér. Hydrobiol. 12: 245–275.
Paugy, D., 1994. Ecologie des poissons tropicaux d'un cours d'eau temporaire (Baoulé, haut bassin du Sénégal au Mali): adaptation au milieu et plasticité du régime alimentaire. Rev. Hydrobiol. trop. 27: 157–172.
Paugy, D. & V. Bénech, 1989. Les poissons d'eau douce des bassins côtiers du Togo (Afrique de l'Ouest). Rev. Hydrobiol. trop. 22: 295–316.
Petr, T., 1967. Food preferences of commercial fishes in Volta lake. Volta basin Research project. University of Ghana, Legon technical report 22: 1–22.
Petr, T., 1968. Distribution, abundance and food of commercial fish in the Black Volta Man-made lake in Ghana during its first period of filling (1964–1966). Hydrobiologia 32: 417–448.
Petr, T., 1975. Limnology and fisheries of the Nyumba Ya Mungu, a man-made lake in Tanzania. Afr. J. trop. Hydrobiol. Fish. 4: 39–50.
Pinkas, L., M. S. Oliphant & I. L. K. Iverson, 1971. Food habits of albacore, blue fin tuna and bonito in Californian waters. Calif. Fish. Game 152: 1–105.
Reizer, C., X. Mattei & J. L. Chevalier, 1973. Contribution à l'étude de la faune ichtyologique du bassin du fleuve Sénégal. III. Mormyridae. Bull. I.F.A.N. 35: 665–704.
Rosecchi, E. & Y. Nouaze, 1987. Comparaison de cinq indices utilisés dans l'analyse des contenus stomacaux. Rev. Trav. Inst. Pêches Marit. 49: 111–123.
Sandon, H. & A. Al Tayib, 1953. The food of some common Nile fish. Sudan Notes and Records Khartoum 34: 205–229.
Scherrer, B., 1984. Présentation des données. In G. Morin (ed.), Biostatistique: 103–126.
Simenstad, C. A., 1979. Fish food habits analysis. Princ. Invest. Rep. Environ. Assess. Alaskan Cont. Shelf: 441–450.
Tobor, J. G., 1972. The food and feeding habits on some lake Chad commercial fishes. Bull. I.F.A.N. 34: 179–211.
Ugwumba, A. A. A., 1992. The food and feeding habits of Heterotis niloticus (Teleostei: Osteoglossidae) in a small tropical man-made lake in Ibadan, Nigeria. J. Afr. Zool. 106: 113–123.
Vollenweider, R. A., 1974. A Manual on Methods for Measuring Primary Production in Aquatic Environments. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, 225 pp.
Welcomme, R. L., 1985. River fisheries. FAO fisheries technical paper 262, Rome, 330 pp.
Zongo, F., 1994. Contribution à l'étude du phytoplancton d'eau douce du Burkina Faso: cas du barrage N°3 de Ouagadougou. Doctorat 3ème cycle, Université de Ouagadougou.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kouamélan, P., Teugels, G., Gourène, G. et al. The effect of a man-made lake on the diet of the African electric fish Mormyrus rume Valenciennes, 1846 (Osteoglossiformes; Mormyridae). Hydrobiologia 380, 141–151 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003417511855
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003417511855