Composição da dieta de Moenkhausia forestii Benine, Mariguela, Oliveira, 2009 (Characidae, Stethaprioninae) nas margens da Área de Relevante Interesse Ecológico (ARIE) de Santa Helena e Rio São Francisco Falso, PR, Brasil

Abstract

The study of fish food composition is an important tool for evaluating environmental conservation and assisting management bodies in developing sustainable management plans. The present work aimed to evaluate the composition of the diet of Moenkhausia forestii Benine, Manriguela 2009 in the habitats formed around the Area of Relevant Ecological Interest (ARIE) in the municipality of Santa Helena, known in the region as “Biological Refuge” (RBSH) and in a stretch in the mover part of the São Francisco Falso Braço Sul River (RSFF), its main floodplain. The research was carried out quarterly from 2017 to 2019 with an additional collection in 2023. The fish were captured using a sieve. The food composition was verified using the gravimetric method (Wt%), which shows the relative abundance (%) of a food item from each category, listing all the analyzed contents that were combined to calculate the food index (AIi). Food items 59 individuals in ARIE and 148 in RSFF were examined to the lowest possible taxonomic level. The species diet had 26 food items possible to identify, with plant fragments, algae and zooplankton larvae having the highest Frequency of Occurrence (FO%) values for ARIE, 78.0%, 40.7% and 66. 1% respectively. For RSFF, higher FO% were observed for Plant Fragments, Organic and Inorganic Matter and Algae 58.1%, 52.0% and 59.5% respectively. There was also a record of microplastics in RBSH and RSFF, 4.1% and 11.9% respectively. This study contributes information on the diet of Moenkhausia forestti in a protected area and in the lower part of the Rio São Francisco Falso Braço Sul.