Food and feeding habits of Hepsetus odoe and Polypterus senegalus in Eleyele Lake, Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

A study was carried out on the food and feeding habits of Hepsetus odoe and Polypterus senegalus in Eleyele Lake to determine their feeding activities and food resources. The stomach fullness varied with size and sex. Males had lower feeding activities in H. odoe and P. senegalus. Generally the percentage of specimens with empty stomachs decreased with length in both species. The food richness of H. odoe was 5 and fish was the most important food item (52.40%) in the stomach. Insects (64.3%) were more important to the smaller size group. The food richness of P. senegalus was 9 and the diet in Eleyele Lake was dominated by insects (71.65%). Relative Importance of fish components increased with length group in P. senegalus. P. senegalus and H. odoe are both carnivorous in Eleyele Lake. The higher feeding intensity of P. senegalus was due to the availability of prey as reflected in the food richness.

Keywords: diet, food richness, intersexual variation, feeding intensity, Hepsetus odoe, Polypterus senegalus