Morphometric parameters comparisons of the digestive tract of four teleosts with different feeding habits

Abstract

The present study compared some morphometric parameters of the digestive tract of four teleosts with different feeding habits: traira (Hoplias malabaricus, carnivore), silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen, omnivore), hassar (Hoplosternum littorale, omnivore), and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella, herbivore). The digestive tract was removed from fish collected from nature and fixed for some morphometric analyses, such as: intestinal quotient, intestinal area quotient, vilosity height, digestive somatic index, and hepatosomatic index. Grass carp showed the highest values of intestinal quotient and height vilosity. On the other hand, the intestinal area quotient was higher in traira than in the other species. The intestinal quotient can be used to estimate the feeding habit, and the intestinal area quotient, vilosity height and the relationships between digestive tract length and fish weight or digestive tract weight can provide important additional information to analyze the feeding habits.