TurkJVetAnimSci 29(2005)417-428 ©TÜB‹TAK ResearchArticle FeedingHabitsandDietCompositionofBrownTrout (Salmotrutta)intheUpperStreamsofRiverCeyhanand RiverEuphratesinTurkey CemilKARA DepartmentofBiology,FacultyofScienceandArts,KahramanmaraflSütçü‹mamUniversity,46100Kahramanmarafl-TURKEY E-mail:
[email protected] AhmetALP DepartmentofFisheries,FacultyofAgriculture,KahramanmaraflSütçü‹mamUniversity,46100,Kahramanmarafl-TURKEY E-mail:
[email protected] Received:25.09.2003 Abstract: Thefeedinghabitsanddietcompositionofthestreamdwellingresidentbrowntrout Salmotrutta intheupperstreams ofRiverCeyhanandRiverEuphrateswereinvestigatedbyexaminingthestomachcontentsof611specimenscollectedfromMay 2000toApril2001.AnalysisofmonthlyvariationsofstomachfullnessindicatedthatfeedingintensitywashigherbetweenFebruary andJunethanthatforthespawningseasonthatcoveredtheperiodfromNovembertoJanuary.Atotalof42preytaxarepresenting Coleoptera,Trichoptera,Ephemeroptera,Plecoptera,Malacostraca,Diptera,Araneidae,Odonata,Gastropoda,Acridae,Acarii, Heteroptera,fishandfisheggwasidentifiedinthediet.Theindexofrelativeimportance(IRI%)revealedthatfivefooditem s togetherconstitutedmorethan90%ofthediet,withthemostimportantbeingGammarussp.(49.72%),Hydropsychidae (14.61%),anunidentifieddipteranspecies(9.21%),Nemourasp.(8.98%)andIsoperlasp.(6.90%).TheOverlapIndex(OI)values indicatedthattheresidentbrowntroutintheStreamAksu,Sö¤ütlüandHurmandifferedintermsoftheirdietcompositions, comparedtothetroutinotherstreams.Themostimportantfooditemvariedamongthesizeclassesofthebrowntrout,being Rhithrogenasp.,Nemourasp.,Gammarussp.andfishfortheclassesoftroutwith40-80mm,81-120mm,121-280mm,and