A comparative study of seasonal food and feeding habits of beardless barb, Cyclocheilichthys apogon (Valenciennes, 1842), in Temengor and Bersia Reservoirs, Malaysia

The food and feeding habit of beardless barb, Cyclocheilichthys apogon (Valenciennes, 1842), from family Cyprinidae was investigated by stomach content analyses of 374 collected fish in two consecutive reservoirs Temengor and Bersia Reservoirs which are separated by Temengor Dam. The main aim of this study was to compare the stomach contents of C. apogon between these two reservoirs in wet and dry seasons. Results showed that C. apogon is omnivorous based on the moderate value of relative gut length. The main food items contained in their stomach were Oligochaeta, Chironomidae and detritus which made up over half of the stomach contents. Other food items, such as Cladocera, Crustacea and Gastropoda, supplemented the main food and were consumed in much smaller amounts. There were specific differences in the food preference between Temengor and Bersia populations i.e. Oligochaeta was the most preferred in the former while Chironomidae in the latter, but the general pattern was similar in both. There was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) in frequency occurrences of food items in diet composition between the two reservoirs during both wet and dry seasons. Therefore, the seasonal feeding activities of C. apogon in Temengor Reservoir were relatively similar with those in Bersia Reservoir. In conclusion, for the present Temengor Dam does not affect the nutritional habit of C. apogon in Bersia Reservoir.