Diet composition of the North African freshwater crab, Potamon algeriense (Bott, 1967) in Oued Zegzel (Northeast of Morocco)

ABSTRACT

This is the first study of the diet composition of the North African freshwater crab Potamon algeriense by examining stomach contents. Crabs were collected during 1 year, October 2018 to September 2019, from Oued Zegzel, a mountain stream in the Northeast of Morocco. From a total of 72 crabs captured, only 35 males and 30 females had stomach contents that could be analyzed. Diet composition analysis was carried out using the frequency of occurrence and the percentage point methods. Stomach content analysis showed that P. algeriense was found to be an opportunistic omnivore capable of ingesting both vegetal and animal materials, with a predominance of vegetal tissues. High values of the feeding index were observed from summer to late autumn; however, lower values were recorded during the wet season.

KEYWORDS:

• Diet composition
• feeding strategy
• freshwater crab
• Potamon algeriense
• trophic web

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).