Feeding dynamics of Cichla kelberi Kullander & Ferreira, 2006 introduced into an artificial lake in southeastern Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study was to characterize the seasonally of the diet of Cichla kelberi in an artificial lake in Leme-SP, determining the food items and their relation to the sex and gonadal maturity of the fish sampled. The diet of C. kelberi presents a dynamic in three different periods: winter months were characterized by low feeding activity and a high concentration of undetermined fish; increase in feeding activity occurred in the spring, with Tilapia sp. being the dominant food item; and a high rate of cannibalism was observed in the summer and early fall. The plasticity in the composition of the diet was marked by quantity of prey available during the different periods of the year, and the reproductive period. © 2010 Sociedade Brasileira de Ictiologia.