Foraging Characteristics of Larval Bluegill Sunfish and Larval Longear Sunfish in the Kanawha River, West Virginia

ABSTRACT

We determined spatial and temporal foraging characteristics of larval bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) and longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis)in the upper Kanawha River, West Virginia during the summer of 1989. Stomach contents were examined among habitat types (i.e., main channel, main-channel border, and shoreline habitats) and depth (surface, middle, and bottom). Diet of larval bluegill sunfish was dominated by Chironomidae, temporally and spatially. Chironomidae dominated larval longear sunfish diet in main channel and main-channel border collections from all three depths. However, along the shoreline, larval longear sunfish diet was dominated by Cladocera.