الغذاء الطبيعي للأسماك في المياه العراقية الشلك Aspius vorax البرعان الأبيض Leuciscus Lepidus

Abstract EN

During the period between February 1995 and May 1994, a total of 251 Shillig, Aspius vorax and 77 Buraan, Leuciscus lepidus were collected from Tirgris, Euphrates Rivers and Al-Qadidiya reservior.

These two fishes ranged between (160-660)mm and (l70-550)mm in total length respectively.

Occurrence and volumetric methods as well as ranking index (Hebson, 1974) were used in the analysis of forgot contents.

Collected fish were found mainly feeding on small fishes and insects larvae.

This type of food as well as other animal in origin food categories formed 84.5%, 82.0% and 82.7% by volume of the consumed food by shillig at the three sampling stations respectivly, However this type of food formed 76.7% by volume of the consumed food by Buraan in Tigris River.

Small fish were the most important food category consumed by different size groups of Shillig and Burran captured from Tigris River.

No Buraan were collected from the Euphrates River and Al-Qadisiya reservior.

Relative gut length of Shillig and Buraan were equal to 0.72 and 0.94 respectively.

This indicates that the two fishes were camivorus.

Natural food of Jirri, Silurus triostegus and Abou Al-Zomaer, Mystus pelusis another camivorus fishes from the same sampling stations, were also discussed in this study.