scholarly journals Insectivory in Potamotrygon signata (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae), an endemic freshwater stingray from the Parnaíba River basin, northeastern Brazil

2012 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 885-891 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Moro ◽  
P. Charvet ◽  
RS. Rosa
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Original Description ◽  
Arid Environment ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Diet Variability ◽  
Freshwater Stingray ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Main Item

Potamotrygon signata is an endemic freshwater stingray species in the Parnaíba River basin, Brazil. After its original description, only citations in systematic lists were recorded in the literature and the biology of the species remains unknown, including the feeding habits. The aim of this study is to characterize the overall diet of P. signata based on analysing stomach contents and to provide preliminary information on intraspecific diet variability between sexes and maturity stages. The stomach contents of 56 specimens of P. signata were analyzed. The taxonomic identification of food items showed the presence of 13 prey orders, including insects, mollusks, crustaceans and teleost fish. The Index of Relative Importance (IRI%) indicated P. signata as an insectivorous species, with a dominance of Diptera larvae (60.64%) and Ephemeroptera nymphs (34.68%). Differences in diet were observed between sexes, as well as between mature and immature individuals. The IRI% of females showed a similar occurrence of Diptera and Ephemeroptera (47.12% and 47.86%, respectively), whereas for males, Ephemeroptera was the main item (79.56%). Immature individuals showed a dominance of Diptera (76.20%) while mature individuals showed a similar occurrence of Diptera (46.95%) and Ephemeroptera (47.23%). The observed sexual and ontogenetic differences in diet may be related to distinct nutritional requirements of males and females, and to the variation of morphological aspects of the oral apparatus and dentition of males and females and of immature individuals and adults. The essentially insectivorous diet of the species is possibly adaptively advantageous in the Caatinga semi-arid environment, where the availability of fish as prey may be subject to strong seasonal variation.

Feeding habits of Urotrygon microphthalmum (Myliobatiformes: Urotrygonidae) caught off northeastern Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jones Santander-Neto ◽  
Dante J. V. Freitas ◽  
Hugo Bornatowski ◽  
Rosângela Lessa
Keyword(s):  
Trophic Level ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Diet Shift ◽  
Ontogenetic Diet Shift ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Stomach Contents Analysis

Abstract The feeding habits of Urotrygon microphthalmum, a Critically Endangered (CR) species, were investigated through stomach contents analysis from specimens caught on bottom double rigged otter trawls in Pernambuco state, Brazil, between March of 2010 and March of 2012. A total of 338 stomachs were analyzed, and 31 food items were identified in the diet of U. microphthalmum. The species ingests mainly shrimps. The diets between males and females were not different, and an ontogenetic diet shift was not observed. The estimated species’ trophic level is 3.5, classifying it as a secondary order consumer.

scholarly journals Feeding habits of the Robber Frog Pristimantis paulodutrai (Bokermann, 1975) in northeastern Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thales Francisco S. S. Alves-dos-Santos ◽  
Lucas Rodriguez Forti ◽  
Marcelo Felgueiras Napoli
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Generalist Predators ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Generalist Diet ◽  
Ecological Dominance

Abstract: Studying feeding habits is crucial to understand complex predator-prey interactions. Even though anurans play a fundamental role in the control of arthropods populations, the diet of several Neotropical species is poorly known. We describe the frequency and occurrence of prey items and their dry mass in stomach contents of the Robber Frog Pristimantis paulodutrai in the north east of the state of Bahia, Brazil. Based on the stomach contents of 30 individuals, Araneae, Isopoda, and Formicidae were found to be the most important food items. The generalist diet of this frog, which seems to be phylogenetically conserved among Pristimantis, is likely to be linked to its ecological dominance in the habitats surveyed. Our study corroborates the high trophic relevance of Robber Frogs in tropical forests as generalist predators.

scholarly journals Diet of Astyanax paranae (Characidae) in streams with different riparian land covers in the Passa-Cinco River basin, southeastern Brazil

2012 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anderson Ferreira ◽  
Pedro Gerhard ◽  
José E. P. Cyrino
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Aquatic Insects ◽  
Environmental Influence ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
River System ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Terrestrial Plants ◽  
Terrestrial Insects

An analysis of the diet of Astyanax paranae Eigenmann, 1914 in nine streams located in the Passa-Cinco River basin (upper Paraná River system) was performed to investigate the feeding habits of this species, check for possible spatial variations in diet and to investigate the influence of riparian vegetation in the composition of the diet. Stomach contents of 243 specimens were analyzed by the methods of relative frequency of occurrence and volume, and the diet was characterized by the alimentary index (AIi). The species showed insectivorous feeding habits, with a predominance of terrestrial and aquatic insects in the diet, varying by location. In most streams, resources of allochthonous origin were the most consumed. The participation of aquatic insects and terrestrial plants were high in most streams, while terrestrial insects and invertebrates were highest in streams with a greater presence of riparian forest. The two streams located draining pasture fields were the only places were A. paranae consumed algae and macrophyte fragments. These results were corroborated by the analysis of similarity (ANOSIM): the descriptor "percentage of riparian forest" was the highest environmental influence on the diet of A. paranae. The study shows that riparian forest percentage on the stream reach determines the species diet composition, but A. paranae is also able to gather enough food resources in a variety of severely degraded environments.

scholarly journals Cladocerans from gut contents of fishes associated to macrophytes from Taquari River Basin, MS, Brazil

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Maria Güntzel ◽  
Ilze Katsue Morita Melo ◽  
Kennedy Francis Roche ◽  
Valéria Flávia Batista da Silva ◽  
Priscila Gusmão Pompiani
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Oxbow Lake ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Short Discussion ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Fish Feeding ◽  
Important Food Source

AIM: The aim of this study was to identify the cladocerans species from the gut contents of fishes sampled in an oxbow lake from Taquari River Basin, MS, with the specific view of investigating the importance of these crustaceans in the fishes diets; METHODS: Sampling was carried out in April and August of 2005 (dry season) and January of 2006 (wet season). The fish were captured with a sieve. In the laboratory, individuals were identified and stomachs were removed and weighed. The stomach contents were identified, and a Feeding Index calculated; RESULTS: The items most consumed by fishes were filamentous algae, Cladocera and detritus. The Cladocera were especially important in the August and January samples, and consisted primarily of Chydoridae; cladocerans were most consumed by species of Serrapinnus and by Mesonauta festivus. Fish fed more in April, with decreases occurring in stomach fullness on the other two sampling dates. CONCLUSIONS: Cladocerans associated with macrophytes may be an important food source for small fish individuals in marginal lakes from Taquari River Basin. The relative importance of the Chydoridae in the guts may have been due to the high relative abundance and species richness of this group in the environment. A short discussion on fish feeding habits was included in the text.

scholarly journals On the diet of two endemic and rare species of Trichomycterus (Ostariophysi: Trichomycteridae) in the Jordão River, Iguaçu River basin, southern Brazil

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (84) ◽  
Author(s):  
Almir Petersen Barreto ◽  
Fabiane Cristina Armiliato ◽  
Vanessa Maria Ribeiro ◽  
Vinícius Abilhoa
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Diet Composition ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Scaling Analysis ◽  
Multidimensional Scaling Analysis ◽  
Organic Detritus ◽  
Energetic Complex ◽  
Iguaçu River

The diet and the eect of body size on the feeding habits of Trichomycterus crassicaudatus and Trichomycterus stawiarski, collected in the Jordão River, an import tributary of the Iguaçu River basin, were investigated. Samples were collected in august 2003 during the Jordão River Energetic Complex Aquatic Fauna Rescue and Monitoring program. Stomach contents were evaluated through the frequency of occurrence, permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA), si-milarity percentage analysis (SIMPER) and non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS) methods. A total of 86 stomach contents of T. stawiarski and 36 of T. crassicaudatus were assessed. The species presented an insectivorous feeding habit, with differences in the diet composition of the “smallest” and the “largest” individuals. Ephemeroptera nymphs, lar-vae and pupae of Diptera, organic detritus and plant fragments were the most important food items. Both species feeding habits were based mainly in benthic aquatic immature insects.

scholarly journals Relative feeding specialization may depress ontogenetic, seasonal, and sexual variations in diet: the endemic lizard Cnemidophorus littoralis (Teiidae)

2003 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 321-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. F. Teixeira-Filho ◽  
C. F. D. Rocha ◽  
S. C. Ribas
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Head Size ◽  
Head Width ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Main Item

We investigated the feeding habits of the teiid lizard Cnemidophorus littoralis in the markedly seasonal habitat of Restinga da Barra de Maricá (22º57'S, 43º50'W), Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, to evaluate to what extent its diet is ontogenetically, sexually, and/or seasonally conservative. Lizard stomach contents were analyzed, identified, counted, estimated for volume (in mm³), and grouped in four classes (active, sedentary, and clumped preys, and plant material). The relative contribution of each food class to the total prey volume consumed by adult males and females and juveniles was compared in three ways: between juveniles and adults, sexes, and seasons (wet and dry). Sexual dimorphism in head size was tested by comparing head width and jaw length using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Isopterans were the most important prey item, occurring in 93% of the lizard stomachs examined and corresponding to 96.4% of total prey content and 69.7% of total prey volume. They occurred in high frequencies in the stomachs of C. littoralis throughout all study months. We found no sexual, ontogenetic, or seasonal differences in C. littoralis diet although the sexes differed significantly in head width. We concluded that isopterans are the main item in the diet of C. littoralis in Restinga da Barra de Maricá, both for juveniles and adults. The lack of seasonal, sexual, or ontogenetic variation in its diet results from the massive consumption of these insects. Isopterans are small, occur in clumps, and are available year-round, and thus are an advantageous food item for the active forager C. littoralis. We also found sexual dimorphism in the head size of C. littoralis: males have wider heads than females. This dimorphism, however, does not seem to be related with the diet of the species, and is probably a result of sexual selection.

scholarly journals Pentastomids infecting an invader lizard, Hemidactylus mabouia (Gekkonidae) in northeastern Brazil

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 611-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
LA. Anjos ◽  
WO. Almeida ◽  
A. Vasconcellos ◽  
EMX. Freire ◽  
CFD. Rocha
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Infection Intensity ◽  
First Record ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Parasitism Rate ◽  
Intensity Of Infection ◽  
New Host ◽  
Single Host ◽  
Hemidactylus Mabouia

From January to April 2006, 37 specimens of Hemidactylus mabouia were collected in houses, in the municipality of Barbalha (7° 20' S and 39° 18' W), Ceará State, Northeast Brazil. Among the individuals captured, 17 were infected with pentastomids, totalling a prevalence of 45.9%, which did not differ between sexes. Host size did not influence the infection intensity. Two species of pentastomids were found: Raillietiella frenatus and R. mottae. The prevalence of R. frenatus (43.2%) was higher than R. mottae (2.7%), whereas the infection intensity of R. frenatus was comparatively lower (1.8 ± 1.4) than R. mottae (36 parasites in a single host). Overall mean intensity of infection was 3.8 ± 8.4 pentastomids. We found no pentastomid infecting juvenile geckos. The parameters of infection in this host population are in accordance to the findings of other studies, in which the high parasitism rate was associated to the feeding habits of geckos living in houses and buildings. Hemidactylus mabouia is a new host to R. mottae and the infection by R. frenatus is the first record of the occurrence this pentastomid species in Brazil.

scholarly journals Morphohistology of the Digestive Tract of the Damsel FishStegastes fuscus(Osteichthyes: Pomacentridae)

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhaskara Canan ◽  
Wallace Silva do Nascimento ◽  
Naisandra Bezerra da Silva ◽  
Sathyabama Chellappa
Keyword(s):  
Digestive Tract ◽  
Transition Region ◽  
Digestive System ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Muscular Layer ◽  
Pyloric Caeca ◽  
Anterior Intestine ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Tidal Pools

This study investigated the morphohistology of the digestive tract and the mean intestinal coefficient of the damsel fishStegastes fuscuscaptured from the tidal pools of Northeastern Brazil. The wall of the digestive tract ofS. fuscusis composed of the tunica mucosa, tunica muscularis, and tunica serosa. The esophagus is short with sphincter and thick distensible wall with longitudinally folded mucosa. Mucous glands are predominant, and the muscular layer of the esophagus presented striated fibers all along its extension. The transition region close to the stomach shows plain and striated muscular fibers. Between the stomach and intestine, there are three pyloric caeca. The intestine is long and thin with four folds around the stomach. The anterior intestine presents folds similar to those of pyloric caeca. The estimated mean intestinal coefficient and characteristics of the digestive system ofS. fuscuspresent morphological adequacy for both herbivorous and omnivorous feeding habits.

scholarly journals The Dasypodidae (Mammalia, Xenarthra) from the Urso Fóssil Cave (Quaternary), Parque Nacional de Ubajara, State of Ceará, Brazil: paleoecological and taxonomic aspects

2014 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAULO V. OLIVEIRA ◽  
ANA MARIA RIBEIRO ◽  
ÉDISON V. OLIVEIRA ◽  
MARIA SOMÁLIA S. VIANA
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Dasypus Novemcinctus ◽  
Sediment Samples ◽  
Wide Geographical Distribution ◽  
Anthropogenic Action ◽  
Euphractus Sexcinctus ◽  
Northwest Region

This paper deals with xenarthrans osteoderms assigned to Dasypus aff. D. novemcinctus, Euphractus sexcinctus and Cabassous sp. The material was collected in subsurface, from 0.10 to 0.60 m in the Urso Fóssil Cave, Parque Nacional de Ubajara, State of Ceará, northeastern Brazil. The ages of sediment samples from levels 4 and 5 (depths of 0.40 and 0.50 m) were determined by thermoluminescence technique, and indicated ages of 8,000 and 8,200 years BP for each layer respectively. The presence in these layers of early Holocene xenarthrans taxa can contribute to the understanding of the biotic evolution of the northwest region of Ceará during the last 10,000 years. Two of the three identified taxa still occur in the region: Dasypus novemcinctus and Euphractus sexcinctus. The Dasypodidae fauna here reported includes animals with generalist feeding habits and current wide geographical distribution. It is suggested, therefore, that the climatic and environmental conditions in the early Holocene were very similar the actual ones, and that the absence of Cabassous may be conditioned to other factors, such as anthropogenic action and loss of habitat by fragmentation of the vegetation.

scholarly journals Digenea of Hoplias intermedius and Hoplias malabaricus (Actinopterygii, Erythrinidae) from upper São Francisco River, Brazil

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Priscilla Correia Costa ◽  
Cassandra Moraes Monteiro ◽  
Marilia Carvalho Brasil-Sato
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
New Host ◽  
Hoplias Malabaricus ◽  
Parasitic Fauna ◽  
Sao Francisco River ◽  
São Francisco River ◽  
New Location

A total of 103 specimens of Hoplias intermedius (Günther, 1864) and 86 specimens of H. malabaricus (Bloch, 1794) from the upper São Francisco River, State of Minas Gerais were collected between April 2011 and August 2013, and their parasitic fauna were investigated. Four species of Digenea were found: metacercariae of Austrodiplostomum sp., and Ithyoclinostomum sp.; and adult specimens of Phyllodistomum spatula Odhner, 1902, and Pseudosellacotyla lutzi (Freitas, 1941) Yamaguti, 1954. The prevalence of the metacercariae was higher than that of the adult digeneans of erythrinids from the upper São Francisco River as a result of piscivorous feeding habits of these adult erythrinids. The presence of metacercariae and adult digeneans indicate that they act as intermediate and definitive hosts, respectively, in their biological cycles. Hoplias intermedius is a new host for the four species of Digenea, and the São Francisco River basin is a new location for the known geographical distributions of P. spatula and P. lutzi.

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