Alimentação das fases iniciais do peixe-rei Atherinella brasiliensis (Atherinopsidae) no estuário do rio Jaguaribe, Itamaracá – PE

Abstract

Natural feeding of Atherinella brasiliensis (Atherinopsidae) larvae, collected in the Jaguaribe River Estuary, Itamaracá – Pernambuco, was studied. Gastro-intestinal contents of 98 individuals, collected at monthly interval during the year 2001, with a 500 mm mesh size conical-cylindrical plankton net, showed that early life stages of this species presents an opportunistic feeding habit, i.e. its diet depen- ds on local food availability. Tintinnina was the most frequent food item, present in 23.5% of the larvae with gastro-intestinal content, followed by Copepoda and Microalgae. Others items, such as Trichodina sp. (Protozoa), invertebrate eggs and unidentified organisms also represented important items in the diet of A. brasiliensis.