Abstract

PELEGRIN, Nicolás  and  HARO, José G. Feeding ecology of Parodon tortuosus (Pisces, Characiformes) from Río de la Suela (Córdoba, Argentina). Ecol. austral [online]. 2004, vol.14, n.1, pp.45-51. ISSN 1667-782X.

The feeding of 71 Parodon tortuosus individuals from de la Suela River, Córdoba Province, Argentina, was analized. The diet was mostly composed by algae (Chlorophyta, Cyanophyta and Chrisophyta which comprise 92.1% of the total dry weight of the stomach contents), with a few animal items (7.9%) such as Diptera (Chironomidae and Simuliidae), Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera. There were no significant differences in the diet between cold and warm seasons neither between juveniles and adults. Parodon tortuosus is an algae-eating fish that lives in small waterfalls with rocky substrates. It behaves as a browser or as a grazer according to its needs, but it can eventually ingest animal food mixed with the algae.

Keywords : Parodontidae; Browsers; Grazers; Herbivory.

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