The first recording of the threatened species, the European weather loach, Misgurnus fossilis (Berg, 1949), in the diet of the pike

In autumn 2011 and spring 2012, the diet of pike (n = 112) captured in a backwater in eastern Hungary was examined. Eight species of prey-fish were found in the stomachs of 31 of the 112 pike individuals, and 71.9% of the prey-fish in the stomachs of 16 of the 31 pike individuals were European weather loach, Misgurnus fossilis. This first recording of European weather loach in the diet of pike is a valuable finding, because it provides new information on an endangered species categorized as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The high number of European weather loach found in the diet of pike suggests that this species was easy prey for the predator after the spawning period when pike start to feed intensively to replace the energy used for reproduction.

___

  • Adams CE (1991). Shift in pike, Esox lucius L., predation pressure fol- lowing the introduction of ruffe, Gymnocephalus cernuus (L.) to Loch Lomond. J Fish Biol 38: 663–667.
  • Alp A, Yeğen V, Apaydin Yağci M, Uysal R, Biçen E, Yağci A (2008). Diet composition and prey selection of the pike, Esox lucius, in Çivril Lake, Turkey. J Appl Ichthyol 24: 670–677.
  • Arlinghaus R, Klefoth T, Gingerich AJ, Donaldson MR, Hanson KC, Cooke SJ (2008). Behavior and survival of pike, Esox lucius, with a retained lure in the lower jaw. Fisheries Manag Ecol 15: 459–466.
  • Beaudoin CP, Tonn WM, Prepas EE, Wassenaar LI (1999). Individual specialization and trophic adaptability in northern pike (Esox lucius): an isotope and dietary analysis. Oecologia 120: 386– 396.
  • Bregazzi PR, Kennedy CR (1980). The biology of pike Esox lucius L. in a southern eutrophic lake. J Fish Biol 17: 91–112.
  • Brown RJ, McIntyre C (2005). New prey species documented for northern pike (Esox lucius): bald eagle (Haliaetus leucocepha- lus). Arctic 58: 437.
  • Dgebuadze YY, Pavlov DS, Petrosyan VG, Reshetnikov YS, Shatunovskiy MI (2010). Fishes in Russian Reserves. Vol. 1 Freshwater Fishes. Moscow: KMK.
  • Diana JS (1979). The feeding pattern and daily ration of a top carnivore, the northern pike (Esox lucius). Can J Zool 57: 2121–2127.
  • Dominguez J, Pena JC (2000). Spatio-temporal variation in the diet of northern pike (Esox lucius) in a colonized area (Esla Basin, NW Spain). Limnetica 19: 1–20.
  • Elvira B, Gnicola G, Almodovar A (1996). Pike and red swamp crayfish: a new case on predator–prey relationship between aliens in central Spain. J Fish Biol 48: 437–446.
  • Freyhof J (2013). Misgurnus fossilis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. . Downloaded on 16 November 2014.
  • Guti G, Andrikowics S, Bíró P (1991). Nahrung von Hecht (Esox lucius), Hundfish (Umbra krameri), Karausche (Carassius carassius), Zwergwels (Ictalurus nebulosus) und Sonnenbarsch (Lepomis gibbosus) im Ócsa Feuchtgebiet, Ungarn. Fischökologie 4: 45–66 (in German).
  • Harvey B (2009). A biological synopsis of northern pike (Esox lucius). Can Manuscr Rep Fish Aquat Sci 2885: v + 31 p.
  • Kekalainen J, Niva T, Huuskonen H (2008). Pike predation on hatchery-reared Atlantic salmon smolts in a northern Baltic river. Ecol Freshw Fish 17: 100–109.
  • Lorenzoni M, Corboli M, Dörr AJM, Giovinazzo G, Selvi S, Mearelli M (2002). Diets of Micropterus salmoides Lac. and Esox lucius L. in Lake Trasimeno (Umbria, Italy) and their diet overlap. Bull Français Pêche Piscicult 365–366: 537–547.
  • Mann RKH (1982). The annual food consumption and prey preferences of pike (Esox lucius) in the River Frome, Dorset. J Anim Ecol 51: 220–226.
  • Mérő TO (2011). Periodical appearance of pike (Esox Lucius Linnaeus, 1758) in the Danube River in the north-western Vojvodina (N Serbia). Nat Croat 20: 201–207.
  • Mérő TO (2014). Diet in pike (Esox lucius) in northwestern Vojvodina (Serbia). Nat Croat 23: 27–34.
  • Povž M (1996). The Red Data List of the freshwater lampreys (Cyclostomata) and fishes (Pisces) in Slovenia. In: Kirchhofer A, Hefti A, editors. Conservation of Endangered Freshwater Fish in Europe. Basel, Switzerland: Birkhäuser Verlag, pp. 63–72.
  • Soupir CA, Brown ML, Kallemeyn LW (2000). Trophic ecology of largemouth bass and northern pike in allopatric and sympatric assemblages in northern boreal lakes. Can J Zool 78: 1759– 1766.
  • Telcean IC, Cupşa D (2012). Threatened and rare fishes from Upper Tisa valley and its Romanian left shore tributaries (North- Western Romania). Pisces Hungarici 6: 87–94.
  • Winfield IJ, Fletcher JM, James JB (2012). Long-term changes in the diet of pike (Esox lucius), the top aquatic predator in a changing Windermere. Freshwater Biol 57: 373–383.
  • Zaugg B, Pedroli J-C (1997). Süsswasserfische—einfach bestimmt. Pro Natura—Schweizerische Bund für Naturschutz, Basel (in German).
Turkish Journal of Zoology-Cover
  • ISSN: 1300-0179
  • Yayın Aralığı: Yılda 6 Sayı
  • Yayıncı: TÜBİTAK
Sayıdaki Diğer Makaleler

Carnivores from the Late Miocene locality of Hayranlı (Hayranlı, Sivas, Turkey)

ŞAKİR ÖNDER ÖZKURT, ERKSİN GÜLEÇ, AHMET CEM ERKMAN

Thomas Oliver MÉRO

Length-weight and length-length relationships for three endemic cyprinid species of the Aegean region (Turkey) with proposed standard weight equations

Daniela GIANNETTO, Ali Serhan TARKAN, Ferit AKBAŞ, Nildeniz TOP, Sevan AĞDAMAR, Uğur KARAKUŞ, Laura POMPEİ, Massimo LORENZONİ

The first report of the family Protrinemuridae and Neoasterolepisma priesneri(Stach, 1946) (Insecta: Zygentoma) for Iran

Morteza KAHRARIAN, Rafael MOLERO-BALTANÁS

Monthly variations in the shell structure of two freshwater ostracod (Crustacea) species in Karapınar Spring (Bolu, Turkey)

Okan KÜLKÖYLÜOĞLU, Manuel R. PALACIOS-FEST, Dirk BARON, Necmettin SARI

Diet of Barn Owl Tyto alba in Central South Bulgaria as influenced by landscape structure

Boyan MILCHEV

On the genus Sunius Curtis, 1829 of Turkey I. Two new micropterous species from central western Turkey (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Paederinae)

SİNAN ANLAŞ

Distribution of two pine processionary moth species in Turkey evidences a contact zone

KAHRAMAN İPEKDAL, CHRISTIAN BURBAN, CAROLE KERDELHUE, SELİM SÜALP ÇAĞLAR

Contributions to the genus Platystoma (Diptera: Platystomatidae) fauna of Turkey with seven new records

SEDA MESCİ, ABDULLAH HASBENLİ

New locality records of Eumeces schneideri (Daudin, 1802) (Sauria: Scincidae) from western Anatolia, Turkey

Kerim ÇİÇEK, Oğuzkan CUMHURİYET, Yusuf BAYRAKCI, Dinçer AYAZ