Trophic ecology of Brycon henni (Pisces: Characidae) in the Portugal de Piedras river, upper Cauca basin, Colombia

Objetive. Study the trophic ecology of the sabaleta (Brycon henni) on the river Portugal de Piedras, from eastern range, department of Valle del Cauca. Materials and methods. During a 9 months period (October 2008 - June 2009), exploratory fishing, were carried out to determine the physical and chemical parameters of the habitat. The captured fishes were gutted, and the contents of the gut were determined to the nearest taxon. Results. The diet of the species included 35 alimentary categories, the trend leaned towards larvae and nymphs of aquatic insects of whom the most common species found were members of the Trichoptera, Diptera and Odonata; organisms allochthonous to the stream of the river sere also found to be part of the diet of the B. henni, such as ants (Hymenopterae), beetles (Choleopterae) and vegetal material such as fruits, leaves and seeds. The ratio between gut length Vs. Standard length indicates that the species presents the features of a carnivore species (LI = -13.8728 + 1.02377*LS, r= 0.35, n= 22), in turn the total weight depended directly on the total length and standard length of the fish (PT = -49.308 + 0.609962*LT; r= 0.92 n=30; PT = -41.6011 + 0.672529*LS; r= 0.89, n=30, respectively). Conclusions. The sabaleta Brycon henni, exhibited characteristics of a carnivorous species.