Feeding in early life stages of the Brazilian silversides <i>Atherinella brasiliensis</i> (Atherinopsidae) from the Jaguaribe River estuary, 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 depends 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.