Ecology Summary - Hoplias malabaricus

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Main Ref.	Zaráte, M. et al., 1989
Remarks	Occurs in diverse habitats from free flowing clear water streams, well up into the valleys, to slow turbid waters, water courses, irrigation and drainage ditches, and ponds on the plains (Ref. 11225). Known to occur at a temperature range of 30-35.5 °C, ph range of 4.8-6.9, and an alkalinity range of 105-315 (Ref. 9116). Rests in vegetation during the day and is active at night (Ref. 6858). Forms schools or may occur in small groups. Is mainly diurnal (Ref. 9084). Adults feed on fish; juveniles feed on crustacean and insect larvae (Ref. 26543, 26681), shrimps and other small invertebrates (Ref. 12225). Fish 2-10 cm SL are characterized as insectivores and >10 cm SL are piscivores (Ref. 59290). Has a digestive tract adapted to a piscivorous diet, which is independent of its ontogenetic stage of development. Small individuals <10 cm showed negative allometry, as their digestive tracts are not well adapted to efficiently exploit the food ingested (insects) (Ref. 59290).

Main Ref.

Zaráte, M. et al., 1989

Remarks

Occurs in diverse habitats from free flowing clear water streams, well up into the valleys, to slow turbid waters, water courses, irrigation and drainage ditches, and ponds on the plains (Ref. 11225). Known to occur at a temperature range of 30-35.5 °C, ph range of 4.8-6.9, and an alkalinity range of 105-315 (Ref. 9116). Rests in vegetation during the day and is active at night (Ref. 6858). Forms schools or may occur in small groups. Is mainly diurnal (Ref. 9084). Adults feed on fish; juveniles feed on crustacean and insect larvae (Ref. 26543, 26681), shrimps and other small invertebrates (Ref. 12225). Fish 2-10 cm SL are characterized as insectivores and >10 cm SL are piscivores (Ref. 59290). Has a digestive tract adapted to a piscivorous diet, which is independent of its ontogenetic stage of development. Small individuals <10 cm showed negative allometry, as their digestive tracts are not well adapted to efficiently exploit the food ingested (insects) (Ref. 59290).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Hoplias malabaricus may be found.

Habitat

Substrate
Substrate Ref.
Special habitats
Special habitats Ref.

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

Feeding

Feeding type	mainly animals (troph. 2.8 and up)
Feeding type Ref.	Soares, M.G.M., R.G. Almeida and W.T. Tunk, 1986
Feeding habit	hunting macrofauna (predator)
Feeding habit Ref.	Teixeira de Mello, F., C. Iglesias, A.I. Borthagaray, N. Mazzeo, J. Vilches, D. Larrea and R. Ballabio, 2006

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	Original sample		Unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition	4.50		4.17	0.62	Troph of adults from 1 study.
From individual food items	3.80	0.95			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.	Soares, M.G.M., R.G. Almeida and W.T. Tunk, 1986

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