Feeding characters of Alburnus sellal (Family: Leuciscidae) in the Little Zab River, western Iran

The feeding characteristics of Alburnus sellal in the Little Zab River, west Azarbaijan Province, Iran were studied from November 2021 to October 2022. The specimens were collected and anesthetized in 1% clove oil, fixed in 10% buffered formalin, and transferred to the laboratory. The average condition factor for males and females was 0.85 showing a significant difference between different months in both sexes (P<0.05). The average length and weight for all specimens were 11.36±1.95cm and 11.8±7.14g, respectively. The average length of gut (RLG) for all fish was 0.65±0.11 during the year. The mean RLG in different months showed significant differences (P<0.05). The highest Gastrosomatic index value was recorded in January and those lowest in August and showed significant differences in different months (P<0.05). A total of 34 empty stomachs were observed amongst the 95 specimens and there were significant differences in different months (P<0.05). This species is an omnivorous fish that mainly consumes aquatic insects, aquatic plants, algae, diatoms, and organic decay material with modest feeding throughout the year.