Food Habits and Competitive Relationships of the Bandfin Shiner in Halawakee Creek, Alabama

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Abstract
The bandfin shiner (Notropis zonistius) showed highest feeding activity between 0300-0600 h and 1400-1700 h in Halawakee Creek [Alabama, USA]. The bulk of the diet over the 24 h period was composed of terrestrial insects (allochthonous material). Feeding intensity was lowest in winter and highest in summer. Fish less than 35 mm fork length fed mostly on dipteran larvae in spring through autumn. Ephemeropteran nymphs were important in the diet in summer and winter. Collembola were consumed only in winter. The diet was most diverse in summer and winter and least in spring. Fish larger than 35 mm ate mostly terrestrial insects and were more specialized feeders. Dipteran larvae, ephemeropteran nymphs and odonate nymphs were consumed in moderate quantities in some seasons. The diet was most diverse in winter and least in summer. The diet of the bandfin shiner was compared quantitatively with that of the rough shiner (N. baileyi), a cyprinid recently introduced in Halawakee Creek. Indices of food similarity indicated a significant overlap in their diets in some seasons. Nilson''s hypothesis of interactive segregation and the principle of competitive exclusion are discussed.