(Food habits of the mandi, Pimelodus maculatus Lací­¨péde, 1803 (Osteichthyes, Pimelodidae), from stretches of Jaguarí­­ and Piracicaba Rivers, São Paulo-Brazil)

Abstract

In this study information is given concerning the food habits of Pimelodus maculatus Lacépí­¨de, 1803 (Osteichthyes, Pimelodidae) caught in stretches of Jaguari and Piracicaba rivers. This investigation was undertaken between July 1972 and June 1973. The area under study was divided into three setors where 674 individuals of both sexes were obtained in fortnightly samplings. The frequency of individuals with empty stomachs was higher during the hot season and also in older fishes. In order to know the food habits of the fish, the stomach contents were analyzed by points and occurrence methods and the data showed that Pimelodus maculatus consumes a wide variety of food items; however insects, fragments of higher plants and detritus are the principal components of the stomach contents. It was observed variation in the diet composition related to the age of the fishes. Among the older fish a tendency to ichthyophagy was evident.