Biología alimentaria y reproductiva de Hyphessobrycon poecilioides (Pisces: Characidae) en la cuenca del río La Vieja, Alto Cauca, Colombia

Abstract

Feeding and reproductive biology of Hyphessobrycon poecilioides (Pisces: Characidae) from
La Vieja River basin, Alto Cauca, Colombia. The ecology of a characid fish (Hyphessobrycon poecilioides)
from upper Cauca River (Colombia) was studied. The secondary drainages display width and depth 2.4 m and 0.5
m respectively. The pH is around 7.0 (mean 7.35), the surface temperature 21.4° C, air temperature 24.2° C, oxygen
low (mean 3.2 ppm). The diet consisted primarily of algae (24.46%) and insects (21.24%). A variation of the diet
was observed, showing a tendency to eat algae (24.46%) in the wet season and insects (21.24%) in the dry one. The
reproduction of the species takes place at the end of the wet season (april). The sex ratio is 1:1. Fecundity is high
(2048 oocytes) and the mean small oocytes (0.052 mm). The size of sexual maturity is 52 mm SL for males and 55
mm SL for females. They showed reproductive strategy r and wide spectrum in the diet. A low and positive
correlation was observed between standard length and intestinal length (r = 0.56), and a significant positive
correlation between total weight and stomach weight (r = 0.9). Physical and chemical data are also included.