Diet and foraging behavior of Ageneiosus inermis (Teleostei, Auchenipteridae)

Abstract

Ageneiosus inermis is the largest species of the family Auchenipteridae (Siluriformes) and has a primarily piscivorous diet, although no comprehensive data are available on the habitat use of this species. Given this, the present study describes the diet of A. inermis, and provides inferences on its habitat use, based on the known behavior of its prey species. We analyzed the stomach contents of 14 specimens collected in the middle of Xingu River in the Brazilian state of Pará, which we complemented with data on 47 other specimens obtained from two published studies. Most of the ingested items were fish associated with the bottom substrate and riverbanks. Although A. inermis is considered a pelagic species, we conclude it forages by exploring the river’s bottom and margins. Furthermore, as A. inermis is presumed to be diurnal, we assume that it does not pursue its prey actively, given that most of the prey species are nocturnal, but rather searches actively during the daytime for prey hidden in the bottom substrate. This hypothesis on the feeding strategy of A. inermis can only be confirmed by underwater observations, either in the wild or under captive conditions.