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Feeding habits of some freshwater fishes in streams of Moorea, French Polynesia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2009

V. H. Resh
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy & Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A.
M. Moser
Affiliation:
Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A.
M. Poole
Affiliation:
Long Marine Laboratory, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, U.S.A. Present Address : Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l'Environnement (CRIOBE), B.P. 1013, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
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Abstract

Animal remains were present in stomach contents of 6 of 13 fish species collected at 10 sites in freshwater streams on Moorea,French Polynesia. The eel Anguilla marmorata contained both freshwater and marine prey, and the eel Anguilla obscuracontained larvae of the pollution-tolerant rat-tailed maggots (Insecta : Diptera : Syrphidae). Fish stomachs contained prey notpreviously collected in these streams. There is clear habitat partitioning between the two most common stream fish. The spottedflagtail, Eleotris fusca, feeds benthically and stomachs contains large numbers of neritid and thiarid snails. The sleeper, Kuhliamarginata, feeds primarily on surface drift, with ants being the most common prey item. The freshwater fish of Moorea havefew parasites relative to those found in Hawaiian Island stream fishes.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Université Paul Sabatier, 1999

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