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Food and feeding of three Citharinus species in Lake Kainji, Nigeria
Author(s) -
Arawomo G. A. O.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8649.1976.tb04656.x
Subject(s) - biology , electrofishing , netting , fishery , perciformes , plankton , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology , political science , law
This paper provides information on the food and feeding habits of three Citharinus species in Lake Kainji. A total number of 2357 specimens made up of 1628 Citharinus citharus , 705 C. distichodoides and 24 C, latus were examined. The majority of the fish caught by gill‐netting had empty stomachs unlike those caught by cast‐netting and electrofishing. The main food items were planktonic and epipelic blue‐green and green algae. All the three species had similar feeding habits and also fed on the same items; their food varied with the seasons. Citharinus spp. have high gut length/standard length ratios which are adaptations to the microphagous and planktivorous feeding habits.