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Ontogenetic diet shifts in Roeboides affinis with morphological comparisons

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Abstract

Fishes of the characid genus Roeboides are documented as lepidophagous, but the degree of specialization on scales varies between species. This study examines ontogenetic changes in morphology and diet of Roeboides dayi and Roeboides affinis from Venezuela. Juveniles of both species feed on microcrustacea and insects during the wet season, when availability of these resources is greatest. As aquatic habitat decreases during the dry season, insect and microcrustacea availability decreases and fish densities increase. As the fish densities increase, scale consumption becomes more profitable. Interspecific differences in the degree of specialization of the teeth and jaws was associated with the degree of scale feeding. Adult R. dayi consumed scales in approximately equal proportions to insects. Adult R. affinis consumes approximately 100% scales, and has more specialized head morphology than R. dayi.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, U.S.A.

    Christopher C. Peterson & Peter McIntyre

  2. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Fish Department, Harvard College, Cambridge, MA, 02138, U.

    Christopher C. Peterson

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  1. Christopher C. Peterson
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  2. Peter McIntyre
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Peterson, C.C., McIntyre, P. Ontogenetic diet shifts in Roeboides affinis with morphological comparisons. Environmental Biology of Fishes 53, 105–110 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007487326990

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