Gut contents and trophodynamics of riverine catfish Rita rita (Hamilton 1822) inhabiting Bangladesh waters

摘要

This study aimed to investigate the diet composition, potential food preferences, and trophodynamics (trophic level) of Riverine catfishRita ritacollected from the Surma River, Bangladesh. For this purpose, gut contents of 151 ofR. ritawere examined. Gut content analysis revealed that fish fed frequently on mollusks (26.36%) and arthropods (17.78%) followed by plant matters (16.96%), insects (12.75%), teleosts (12.52%), and rice seeds (6.02%). The mean trophic level was 2.411?±?0.251, indicating that the studied fish are largely carnivorous. The highest mean trophic level was observed in February (2.794?±?0.207), which is significantly higher than other months (P?