Diet composition and feeding strategy of new world silverside Odontesthes argentinensis in a temperate coastal area (South America)

THOMPSON, GUSTAVO; VOLPEDO, ALEJANDRA

Marine and Coastal Fisheries

Wiley

Año: 2018 vol. 10 p. 80 - 88

1942-5120

Thediet composition and feeding strategy of the new world silverside Odontesthes argentinensiswere evaluated in a temperate coastal area during austral summer. This speciesis an economically significant resource for the fishing industry in SouthAmerica. The food preference of O. argentinensis varied with itssize class: the smallest size classes preferred diatoms and annelids, larger sizeclasses seemed to prefer cypris larvae, and the largest size classes showedpreference for megalopa larvae. Plankton samples were dominated by calanoid andcyclopoid copepods; however and contrary to what was expected, new worldsilverside showed negative selectivity for both groups. A selectivity indexindicated that O. argentinensis selects the food it eats with regard toits availability in the environment. The informationobtained in this study evidences the importance of knowing the food preferenceof O.argentinensis to obtain a better condition factor, key to its potential farming in closed systems