Diet of the freshwater crab Bottiella niceforei (Schmitt & Pretzmann, 1968) (Decapoda: Trichodactylidae) and its relationship with organic matter processing in an intermittent stream of northwestern Venezuela

Abstract

In order to study the role of the freshwater crab Bottiella niceforei in processing the organic matter in an intermittent stream of northwestern of Venezuela, we studied its natural diet by analyzing the gut contents during the period between June 2009 and February 2010. The abundance was determined based upon the proportion of individuals captured by traps throughout all the sampling period and on each pool. The highest crab densities occurred in September (2.7 ind trap-1), followed by June (2.3 ind trap-1) and July (2.1 ind trap-1); while the lowest were obtained in November and February, possibly due to the erosive effect of the current during the rainy season. No significant differences in the abundance and diet between pools were found. During the period from June to November it was found that the most abundant item in the crab diet was the plant detritus, with an average of 68%, followed by animal matter (fish remains), 50% on the average, and amorphous vegetal detritus with 14%. These results demonstrate the important participation of B. niceforei on the leaf litter processing in the pools of cano Carichuano.