Diet and feeding habits of the small catfish, Clarias liocephalus in wetlands of Western Uganda

Clarias liocephalus is an air-breathing catfish inhabiting wetland and river systems in East Africa. This catfish is in highdemandforsaleaslivebaitintheNileperchfisheryof Lake Victoria and equally important in the diet of local communitiesinthelakebasin.Wetlandlossandincreasing fishing pressure potentially threaten the persistence of C. liocephalus; however, little information exists on the ecology of this species to permit evaluation of current threats. This study quantified dietary characteristics of C. liocephalus from heavy and lightly fished wetlands in Western Uganda using numeric, gravimetric and volumetricindiceson492stomachsamplescollectedoveroneyear. Clariasliocephaluswassignificantlysmallerinthreeheavily fishedsites,relativetotheonein-parksite,likelyareflection of a size-selective fishery. Across sites, C. liocephalus was a generalist feeder whose diet was dominated by aquatic dipteranlarvaeandplantmaterial.ThebroadnichegivesC. liocephalusanecologicaladvantagetoforageeffectivelyona wide selection of prey. The significant presence of plant materialshowsthatthespeciesmayutilizeplantprotein,an important consideration of diet requirements should the species be selected for aquaculture.