Diet of Silver Cyprinid, Rastrineobola argentea in Lake Victoria, Kenya.

Studies on the diet of Rastrineobola argentea were conducted between August 2014 and March 2015 in the Kenyan waters of Lake Victoria. Stomach contents of 1154 specimens collected from commercial fishers and experimental seining were analyzed. Juveniles of R. argentea under 30 mm SL fed almost exclusively on zooplanktons, while adult fish larger than 40 mm SL preferred insects. Changes in diet require morphological and physiological changes which are not yet well developed in young fish, thus, they can easily digest zooplankton that also satisfy their demand for protein.Diel feeding regime suggested that R. argentea is a visual feeder. There was spatial variation in diet composition within the studiedstations. Strauss Linear Index of food selection showed that R. argentea preferred cyclopoida, Daphnia sp and Brachionus sp(positive values). However, calanoida, Bosmina sp and Keratella sp were avoided in most stations (negative values). The change in diet among the stations could be attributed to the environmental changes occurring in Lake Victoria associated with changes in composition and abundance of zooplankton community. The information on the ecology of R. argentea are of considerable ecological importance.