Naslov
Feeding ecology of the endemic freshwater Croatian goby, Knipowitschia croatica (Mrakovcic et al., 1994)

Autori
Zanella, Davor ; Mihaljević, Zlatko ; Bužić, Kristina ; Mrakovčić, Milorad ; Mustafić, Perica ; Ćaleta, Marko ; Buj, Ivana ; Marčić, Zoran

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
XII European Congress of Ichthyology (ECI XII) : Book of Abstracts / Buj, Ivana ; Zanella, Linda ; Mrakovčić, Milorad - Zagreb : Hrvatsko ihtiološko društvo, 2007, 150-151

Skup
European Congress of Ichthyology (12 ; 2007)

Mjesto i datum
Cavtat, Hrvatska, 09.09.2007. - 13.09.2007

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Nije recenziran

Ključne riječi
feeding ecology; endemic; Knipowitschia croatica

Sažetak
The Croatian goby Knipowitschia croatica (Mrakovcic et al., 1994) (Gobiidae) is a critically endangered freshwater goby endemic to the lower Neretva River basin in Croatia. The objective of the study was to examine diet and feeding ecology, seasonally and by sex. Specimens were collected monthly over the course of one year (2006), and samples of macrobenthic organisms were collected in June and November. The results show that the Croatian goby feeds on 9 groups of aquatic macrobenthic invertebrates (Nematoda, Oligochaeta, Amphipoda, Isopoda, Ostracoda, Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera). No plant material was found in any of the digestive tracts. Diptera are present in the adult and larval stages and representated by the families Chironomidae and Ceratopogonidae. The dominant diet elements are amphipods, isopods and chironomid larvae, with a greater diversity (7 groups) recorded in summer than in autumn (3 groups). Differences in feeding habits by sex were established. Females consumed higher numbers of prey throughout the year, which relates to the territorial behaviour of the nesting male, who rarely leaves his nest and feeds only on prey that is readily available within the direct vicinity of the nest. Females feed mainly on chironomid larvae in spring and winter, while in summer and autumn they consumed more gammarids than any other prey. In the diet of males, amphipods were most abundant, representated by gammarids in all seasons except autumn, when the isopod Asellus aquaticus was the dominant prey.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija

POVEZANOST RADA