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Diet of Dinocras cephalotes and Perla marginata (Plecoptera: Perlidae) in an Apennine stream (northwestern Italy)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2012

Tiziano Bo ,
Stefano Fenoglio  and
Giorgio Malacarne
Tiziano Bo
Affiliation:
University of Piemonte Orientale, Department of Life and Environmental Science, Via Bellini n. 25, 15100 Alessandria, Italy
Stefano Fenoglio*
Affiliation:
University of Piemonte Orientale, Department of Life and Environmental Science, Via Bellini n. 25, 15100 Alessandria, Italy
Giorgio Malacarne
Affiliation:
University of Piemonte Orientale, Department of Life and Environmental Science, Via Bellini n. 25, 15100 Alessandria, Italy
*
1Corresponding author (e-mail: fenoglio@unipmn.it).
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Abstract

The feeding habits of nymphs of Perla marginata (Panzer) and Dinocras cephalotes (Curtis) were investigated in the Rio Orbarina (northwestern Italy). These species are among the largest European carnivorous freshwater invertebrates and they play an important role in the trophic structure of small, fishless Apennine streams. We examined the gut contents of 60 P. marginata and 60 D. cephalotes nymphs to characterize the diets and evaluate possible feeding differences between the species. In both of these predaceous stoneflies, the diet included vegetable detritus, mainly in the smaller instars. Both species showed trophic preferences, since only a few taxa constituted most of the ingested prey items, independently of their availability in the substratum. Interestingly, there were no clear differences in prey selection between nymphs of the two species.

Résumé

Nous avons étudié les habitudes alimentaires des larves de Perla marginata (Panzer) et de Dinocras cephalotes (Curtis) dans le Rio Orbarina (nord-ouest de l'Italie). Ces espèces sont parmi les invertébrés d'eau douce carnivores les plus grands d'Europe et elles jouent un rôle important dans la structure trophique des petits cours d'eau sans poissons des Apennins. Notre travail examine le contenu stomacal de 60 larves de P. marginata et de 60 de D. cephalotes. Le but de l'étude est de définir le régime alimentaire et d'évaluer les différences dans l'alimentation des deux espèces. Le régime alimentaire de ces deux plécoptères prédateurs inclut du détritus végétal, particulièrement chez les plus petits stades. Il existe de nettes préférences trophiques dans le régime des deux espèces: un petit nombre de taxons constitue la majeure partie des proies ingérées, indépendamment de leur disponibilité dans le substrat. Il est intéressant de noter que nous n'avons décelé aucune différence claire dans la sélection des proies entre les larves de ces deux espèces.

[Traduit par la Rédaction]

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 139 , Issue 3 , June 2007 , pp. 358 - 364
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 2007

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