Feeding of Russian spirlin Alburnoides rossicus Berg, 1924

V.S. Kotelnikova

Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS, 2016, 320(3): 326–335 · https://doi.org/10.31610/trudyzin/2016.320.3.326

Full text

Abstract

Until recently, Russian spirlin found on the territory of the Udmurt Republic was indicated as a subspecies of the riffle minnow Alburnoides bipunctatus rossicus Bloch, 1872. According to osteological and morphometric parameters it is now isolated as an independent species – Russian spirlin Alburnoides rossicus Berg, 1924. Russian spirlin is a very important component of running water ecosystems. Gregarious is typical for this species – it form large clumps in rivers where it lives, outnumbering all other components of ichthyocenosis. The food spectrum of Russian spirlin A. rossicus from Cheptsa River in the Udmurt Republic was studied. It consists of 65 components, among them 9% are algae and higher plants, 86% – invertebrates, 5% – organic residues, detritus and mineral components. Two types of insects were found: benthic forms, and land-air ones. Recovered size of species of benthic invertebrates suggests that spirlin consumes all stages of aquatic insects – larvae of different ages, pupae and imago. According to food spectrum Russian spirlin may be considered a typical polyphage. The feeding habit of Russian spirlin from Cheptsa River is a high ecological plasticity. This allows it to use the various food items, in developing mass, regardless of their nutritional value and the location of the river channel (river bottom or the water column). In the absence of zooplankton or its low concentration, the juvenile spirlin uses drift of benthic invertebrates for food. Upon reaching sexual maturity spirlin mostly eats phytoplankton and zoobenthos. Due to this divergence in the diet of individuals Russian spirlin’s intraspecific competition for food is weakened.

Key words

Alburnoides rossicus, feeding of fishes, zoobenthos of rivers

Submitted January 20, 2016 · Accepted July 18, 2016 · Published September 23, 2016

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