Feeding habits and diet composition of Schizothorax plagiostomus in Panjkora River, Malakand region, Pakistan

Abstract

Snow trout (Schizothorax plagiostomus) is a member of the Cyprinidae familyand commonly found in cold waters. We collected fish samples using cast nets and studied seasonal variations in the food consumption of this species. We analysed the gut content of 160 S. plagiostomus. Gut content revealed that S. plagiostomus feeds mainly on plant parts (45.14 %), followed by stones and muds (30.01 %), and insect parts (13.97 %), while unidentified detritus matter (5.42 %) and algae (5.33 %) are in small volume regarding the average percentage on a monthly basis. Maximum food consumption occurred in the summer and minimal food consumption occurred in winter. Seasonal variation in consumption of foods items showed that in summer it feeds mainly on plant parts (0.54 ± 0.86), followed by animal parts (0.19 ± 0.41), and algae (0.06 ± 0.25). In winter it feeds at a relatively minimal level (0.28 ± 0.56), (0.05 ± 0.22), (0.02 ± 0.16), respectively. Detritus (unidentified) was also observed as part of its diet, with a maximum in summer (0.06 ± 0.24), and less in autumn (0.03 ± 0.18). Lastly, materials uch as stones and mud were observed at a maximum level in winter (0.58 ± 0.76) and a minimum level in summer (0.12 ± 0.34). In conclusion, we found that the diet composition of S. plagiostomus changes with season, revealing a diverse diet that includes plants and animal fragments (caddis flies), algae, detritus, stones, and mud.