Feeding pattern of Salminus maxillosus (Pisces, Characidae) at Cachoeira das Emas, Mogi-Guaçu River (São Paulo State, Southeast Brazil)

Diet of 364 specimens of the dourado (Salminus maxillosus) was studied monthly at Cachoeira das Emas from November/1996 to May/1998, considered the breeding ground of this and other migrant fishes of Mogi-Guaçu River. Only adults were found at this site, and diet consisted exclusively of fish, with predominance of Leporinus sp. Seasonal variation in feeding activity was highest during some months of the rainy and hot season (September-December), when fish composition and number of prey species consumed also changed. These modifications were primarily attributed to an increase in food availability at the site of study during the rainy season, once most of the migrant species, including small Characidae concentrate there at this time of year. Apparently diet shifts, prey availability and rainfall are intimately related, representing a combination of factors that may account for the observed patterns of resource exploitation.