Abstract
Abstract Feeding preferences of bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) fry for four zooplankton genera and cladoceran egg cases collected from a municipal sewage lagoon were examined. Bluegill fry ranged in length from 8.0 to 10.5 mm total length at stocking and were reared for 30 d. Gut contents of 1,440 fry were collected during daytime and nighttime hours. Diet composition was evaluated by the linear food selection index. Bluegill fry preferred Cyclops vernalis and Moina brachiata and consistently avoided cladoceran egg cases and Potamocypris spp. The mean length of prey species selected increased curvilinearly with mean length of fry. No significant diel differences in prey species and size selection were found. The number of prey organisms consumed by bluegill fry increased linearly with mean length of fish. The fry ingested significantly fewer organisms at night than during the day.
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