Feeding habits of the Chinese minnow Rhynchocypris oxycephalus (Sauvage & Dabry de Thiersant, 1874) from the upper Yangtze River, China

The feeding habits of the Chinese minnow, Rhynchocypris oxycephalus (Sauvage & Dabry de Thiersant, 1874), were investigated in the Laohegou River, a tributary of the upper Yangtze River, China. A total of 412 specimens were collected by electrofishing in four seasons of 2012, 7 days per season. Diet composition was analyzed according to season, size classes and sex. The Chinese minnow is a generalist omnivorous species, whose diet consists of aquatic insects and plants. Besides algae, Hemiptera, Ephemerida, Trichoptera, Odonata, Diptera were the most dominat food items. The Shannon-Wiener index on diet items showed no significant differences between major food items (p>.05) or between seasons, size classes and sexes. In contrast, fullness index and dietary breadth analysis both indicated significant diet changes between seasons. Consequently, this study provides information on feeding habits of R.oxycephalus, which may be useful in cultivation trials.