Feeding of Palaemonetes argentinus (Decapoda: Palaemonidae) from an oxbow lake of the Parana River, Argentina

Abstract

Feeding habits and selectivity of Palaemonetes argentinus were studied by examining the stomach contents of specimens from an oxbow lake throughout a year. Palaemonetes argentinus is omnivorous, feeding mainly on members of littoral benthic communities. The bulk of the stomach contents comprised algae, plant remains, oligochaetes, dipteran larvae, and a variety of organisms ranging from Rotifera to Palaemonidae, Zooplankton (rotifers, copepods, and cladocerans) were an alternative food source in winter, at low water, when macrophyte abundance had declined. In general, Oligochaeta and dipteran larvae were positively selected, Rotifera and microcrustaceans negatively, and algae indifferently, but with some variations depending on the seasons.