Implications of chemosensory feeding in catfishes: an analysis of the diets of Ictalurus nebulosus and I. natalis

Abstract

The implications of chemosensory feeding and associated ictalurid morphology were investigated through a seasonal study of the diets of the brown bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus) and yellow bullhead (I. natalis) relative to food availability. Based on the attributes of chemosensory feeding (little discrimination between prey types) and bullhead morphology (poor sight, broad mouth), it was predicted that bullheads would be food generalists and opportunists, and that age-class diets would overlap. These predictions were generally supported for the brown bullhead. Some food types (amphipods) were harvested when most abundant; however, others (chironomid larvae) were consistently taken, and a few potential prey types were underutilized. The yellow bullhead, by contrast, was a food generalist only when young. Adults were specialized piscivores and crayfish feeders. The brown bullhead showed greater weight and length increases than co-occurring visually feeding centrarchids with diets of similar calorific values. Because of the similarity in calorific intake among species, a greater metabolic efficiency in brown bullheads was indicated. Other workers have shown that brown bullheads have lower standard and active metabolisms than some fish species.