Preliminary Study on the Food and Feeding Habits of <i>Raiamas senegalensis</i> (Steindachner, 1870) from Chakawa Reservoir, Mayo – Belwa, Adamawa State, Nigeria

The food and feeding habits of Raiamas senegalensis from Chakawa Reservoir, Mayo – Belwa, Adamawa State was evaluated monthly for a period of one year. A total of 72 samples of R. senegalensis were collected, washed with clean water and preserved in ice crest to minimize any post–mortem changes, taken to the laboratory for stomach contents analysis, where stomachs were preserved in formalin solution of about four percent (4%). Stomach contents of each sample were identified and analysed using the numerical and frequency of occurrence methods. The diet of the R. senegalensis constituted of fish materials, insects, other materials such as sand particles and unidentified worms, plant materials which were the remains of plants, phytoplankton and zooplankton. Numerical analysis showed that insects were dominant and composed of 71.53% of the group of food items in the stomach, zooplankton 11.52%, other materials (unidentified worms) 8.15%, plants materials (remains of plants) 4.47%, phytoplankton 3.41% and fish materials were the least with 0.92%%. The frequency of occurrence indicated that Cullicoides spp. larvae were dominant and found in 58.82% of the stomach, Cullicoides spp. pupae, remains of insects and Nauplius spp. all in 57.35%, while the least was Barbus spp. in 19.11%. Findings from this study indicated that R. senegalensis is a predatory fish feeding mostly on insects, but also consumes fish, plants, phytoplankton and zooplankton. hence, could be considered as carnivore – insectivore. Further study should be carried out on the food and feeding habits of R. senegalensis from other freshwater bodies in Nigeria.