Larval Mirogrex terraesanctae (Cyprinidae) of Lake Kinneret (Israel): growth rate,plankton selectivities,consumption rates and interaction with rotifers

The rotifer Synchaeta pectinata dominated gut content of first feeding Mirogrex larvae (7 mm, 10 days age) and was a selected prey of neuston-caught larvae up to 15 mm TL. A negative L-value (linear index of selection) applied to predation on nauplii and copepodites by 7 and 8 mm larvae; nevertheless, caloric intake was dominated by copepods in 8–10 mm larvae. Neuston-caught larvae 13–20 mm TL fed selectively on Cladocera, especially Bosmina, and on the rotifer Asplanchna spp.Growth, estimated from otolith ring counts and from analysis of size distribution data, ranged from 3 to 7 mm mo^–1, with higher rates for early spawned larvae. When consumption as estimated from gut content, was compared to amounts of food required for growth, it appeared that the smallest larvae were underfed, while 13–16 mm fish obtained rations close to sufficiency.Rotifer standing stock biomass in Lake Kinneret has decreased in recent years, especially in winter, the spawning period of Mirogrex. Postulated causes are predation by an increasingly large population of Mirogrex larvae, and decrease of external supply. Larval distribution appeared to be linked to S. pectinata abundance; highest densities of both organisms occurred in the area of inflow from the Jordan and Golan streams. Larval food enrichment of inflow water by fish pond drainage might have caused observed increases in Mirogrex stock size since 1960.