Navegando por Assunto "Catfish"

Agora exibindo 1 - 2 de 2

Acesso aberto (Open Access)
Feeding ecology of Auchenipterichthys longimanus (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae) in a riparian flooded forest of Eastern Amazonia, Brazil
(2011) FREITAS, Tiago Magalhães da Silva; ALMEIDA, Vitor Hudson da Consolação; VALENTE, Roberta de Melo; MONTAG, Luciano Fogaça de Assis
Feeding habits of the midnight catfish Auchenipterichthys longimanus collected in rivers of the Caxiuanã National Forest (Eastern Amazonia, Brazil) were investigated through the different hydrological periods (dry, filing, flood and drawdown). A total of 589 specimens were collected throughout seven samplings between July 2008 and July 2009, of which 74 were young males, 177 adult males, 89 young females and 249 adult females. The diet composition (Alimentary index – Ai%) was analyzed by a non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) and by the analysis of similarity (ANOSIM), which included 37 items grouped into nine categories (Aquatic insects, Other aquatic invertebrates, Arthropods fragment, Fish, Plant fragment, Seeds, Terrestrial insects, Other terrestrial invertebrates, and Terrestrial vertebrates). We also calculated the niche breadth (Levins index) and the repletion index (RI%). Differences in the diet composition between hydrological seasons were registered, primarily on diet composition between dry and flood season, but changes related with sex and maturity were not observed. The midnight catfish showed more specialists feeder habit in the flood period (March 2009) and more generalist habits in the dry season (November 2008). The amount of food eaten by A. longimanus based on repletion index (RI%), did not differ significantly from sex and maturity. However, we evidenced differences in RI% when comparing the studied months. These results provide important biological information about the trophic ecology of auchenipterids fish. In view of the higher occurrence of allochthonous items, this research also underpins the importance of riparian forests as critical environments in the maintenance and conservation of wild populations of fish in the Amazon basin.
Acesso aberto (Open Access)
The role of Lithodoras dorsalis (Siluriformes: Doradidae) as seed disperser in Eastern Amazon
(Sociedade Brasileira de Inctiologia, 2017) BARBOSA, Thiago Augusto Pedroso; MONTAG, Luciano Fogaça de Assis
Ichthyochory is an important process responsible for the high diversity of plant species in tropical flooded forests. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the role of a catfish species, Lithodoras dorsalis, as seed disperser in the flooded forests at the Amazon River mouth, Brazil. Analyzing the stomach contents of 371 individuals of Lithodoras dorsalis, the Germination Potential (GP%) and Germination Speed Index (GSI) of seeds that were removed intact were investigated. This allowed us to evaluate the germination performance of two important species of plants in Amazonia, Euterpe oleracea (Açaí) and Montrichardia linifera (Aninga), after passage through the digestive tract of this catfish species. Given that digestion by L. dorsalis reduced the germination viability of M. linifera and that seeds were often destroyed during consumption, we suggest that L. dorsalis may have a limited role as seed disperser of M. linifera and instead mostly act as seed predator. However, for the species E. oleracea, L. dorsalis was a potential disperser, since the performance of germination of these seeds was improved after digestion. In addition, the number of seeds consumed was directly proportional to the catfish’s body size, reinforcing the role of doradids as potential seed dispersers in tropical forests.