FEEDING INTERACTION OF THE NON-NATIVE AFRICAN CATFISH (Clarias gariepinus BURCHELL, 1822) IN ITANHEM RIVER ESTUARY, BAHIA, BRAZIL

A total of 214 stomachs of Clarias gariepinus, Centropomus undecimalis and C. parallelus from the Itanhem and Caravelas Rivers, northeastern Brazil, were analyzed to investigate the impact of the non-native species Clarias gariepinus on the Itanhem River food web as compared to that of the adjacent Caravelas River, where this species has not been registered. In Itanhem River, shrimp was the most important food for C. gariepinus, and Teleostei for C. parallelus. In the Caravelas River, Brachyura was the main food item for C. parallelus, and Teleostei for C. undecimalis. There was no food overlap between the species within or between rivers. There is no evidence, in the results of this study, of changes in the diet of the Centropomus parallelus due to the presence of the non-native species.