Abstract
AbstractFive of 18 blackside darter Percina maculata larvae and 3 of 18 leopard darter P. pantherina larvae collected in light traps from the Glover River, McCurtain County, Oklahoma, contained ingested items. The maximum diameter of prey ingested was between 0.27 and 0.37 mm and was 70–90% of their gape widths. None of the larvae that contained prey items possessed a visible yolk sac. Forty‐three of 48 laboratory‐reared larval dusky darters P. sciera offered zooplankton (≤0.30 mm in diameter; harvested from hatchery ponds) contained ingested items. The dominant prey was Ceriodaphnia spp. adults and neonates. The maximum number of Ceriodaphnia consumed by an individual larva was 20. Calanoid copepods were abundant in the zooplankton offered but were not found in any but the 18‐d‐old larvae. Rotifers in low densities also were offered, but none were observed in any of the alimentary canals. We conclude that small (≤0.30‐mm), pond‐ reared cladocerans such as Ceriodaphnia and Bosmina are suitable food for the first‐feeding Percina species examined during this study.
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