Abstract

The stomach contents of the fishes of the Upper Ogun River were scrutinised for three consecutive years. 8 out of the 36 species resident in the river are predominantly piscivorous. These are Mormyrops deliciosus, Hydrocynus forskahlii, Hepsetus odoe, Bagrus docmac, Lates niloticus and Hemichromis fasciatus. Piscivorous habits in Schilbe mystus and Eutropius niloticus are less developed. Three others, viz: Clarias lazera, Heterobranchus longifilis and Channa obscura, which were classified as piscivores by other workers, were caught. The stomachs of C. obscura examined were all empty while those of C. lazera and H. longifilis contained mainly aquatic invertebrates. The major prey of these piscivores are small sized Barbus spp. Other prey fishes include mormyrids, characids, cyprinids, citharinids, catfishes and cichlids. The relationships between the piscivorous and prey fishes and the partitioning of the available resources by these piscivores are discussed.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.