Trophic morphology of five benthic-feeding fish species of a tropical floodplain.

This study describes the morphology of the digestive apparatus and the size and organic content of the ingested food of five species of benthic-feeding fishes (Prochilodus lineatus, Steindachnerina insculpta, Loricariichthys platymetopon, Trachydoras paraguayensis e Iheringichthys labrosus). The samples were taken in the floodplain of the up Paraná River in February and August 1991. The results suggested that these species have different mouth, teeth, gill rakers, stomach and intestine length. These morphologic characteristics were related with the type, size and nutritional quality of the food ingested. Although these species feed on the bottom, the morphologic divergences probably explain the differences in diet.