Food and feeding habits of Raïamas moorei Boulenger 1900, Enteromius pellegrini (Poll, 1939), and Enteromius kerstenii (Peters, 1868), three cyprinid species of Lake Kivu (East Africa)

Abstract

The feeding ecology of Raiamas moorei, Enteromius kerstenii, and Enteromius pellegrini was studied as a contribution to the comprehension of the ecological functioning of Lake Kivu, especially its littoral zone. Fish specimens were collected during 68 fishing campaigns from 2007 to 2017 among which are 25 campaigns 24-h full daily cycles and 43 overnights campaigns. Morphometric parameters and gut contents of all fish individuals were sampled and analyzed. For Enteromius spp., entomophagy is the main strategy as they are revealed to feed mainly on insects while R. moorei combines two different prey categories: insect and fish. The reasons of this partial food partitioning among these three species are discussed. The observed feeding behaviors of these species indicate that they could compete with the new invader Lamprichthys tanganicanus and with some cichlids such as Haplochromis vittatus which inhabit the littoral zone.