Cogent Food & Agriculture

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Feeding pattern of the African big barb

Labeobarbus intermedius (Rüppel, 1836) (Pisces:
Cyprinidae) in Ribb Reservoir, Lake Tana Sub-
basin, Ethiopia

Agumassie Tesfahun & Sale Alebachew

To cite this article: Agumassie Tesfahun & Sale Alebachew (2024) Feeding pattern of
the African big barb Labeobarbus intermedius (Rüppel, 1836) (Pisces: Cyprinidae) in Ribb
Reservoir, Lake Tana Sub-basin, Ethiopia, Cogent Food & Agriculture, 10:1, 2298528, DOI:
10.1080/23311932.2023.2298528

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2023.2298528

© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa

UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis
Group.

Published online: 17 Jan 2024.

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Cogent Food & Agriculture
2024, VOL. 10, NO. 1, 2298528
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2023.2298528

Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science  | RESEARCH ARTICLE

Feeding pattern of the African big barb Labeobarbus intermedius
(Rüppel, 1836) (Pisces: Cyprinidae) in Ribb Reservoir, Lake Tana
Sub-basin, Ethiopia
Agumassie Tesfahuna and Sale Alebachewb
a
Department of Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia; bDeparment
of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feeding patten of Labeobarbus intermedius Received 28 June 2023
at Ribb Reservoir (Lake Tana Sub-basin, Ethiopia). A total of 498 specimens were collected Revised 18 December
using gillnets. Of these, 302 (60.6%) fish had different foods, while 196 (39.4%) were empty. 2023
Accepted 19 December
The fish were dissected, their stomachs were removed, and stomach contents were preserved 2023
in a 5% formalin solution. Frequency of occurrence, volumetric method, index of preponderance,
and geometric importance index were used to study the feeding pattern. Detritus was the KEYWORDS
primary food, accounting for 61.6% of the guts by volume. Mud, zooplankton, and Feeding pattern;
phytoplankton were the second most important food items comprising 24.4%, 3.9%, and frequency occurrence;
2.8% by volume respectively. Feeding pattern differed with the size classes of fish. The smallest Labeobarbus intermedius;
Lake Tana sub-basin;
fish (<16.5 cm Fork length) consumed detritus, mud, and insects comprised 64.2%, 18.7%, and volumetric method
7.3% by volume, respectively. The adult fish (>17.0 cm FL) majorly consumed detritus followed
by mud. The importance of mud increases when the fish grows more except (>31.5 cm FL) REVIEWING EDITOR
size class. The proportions of food items of L. intermedius significantly varied with respect to Pedro González-Redondo,
the dry and wet seasons. Detritus and mud were mostly consumed in the dry season, Associate Professor,
contributing to 47.8% and 32.4% by volume, respectively. Detritus was the most preferred University of Seville,
Seville, Spain
food item during the wet season, contributing 97.2% of the total guts and 75.6% by volume.
Generally, L. intermedius feeding pattern depending on size classes and seasonal variations SUBJECTS
this may be linked to food availability in the reservoir. Agriculture &
Environmental Sciences;
PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT Zoology; Marine &
Lake Tana supports nine migratory spawner large cyprinid fishes. Of these, Labeobarbus Aquatic Science
intermedius migrates up to 60 km distance to reproduce. Ribb River is one of the breeding
sites of this fish species. The African big barb Labeobarbus intermedius (family Cyprinidae) is
the most commercially important fish species. Knowledge of their food and feeding profile is
important to the establishment of aquaculture and for continuing fisheries management. The
Ribb Reservoir is the basin with very important habitats of the endemic cyprinids fish fauna
of the country. Knowledge of the diets and feeding habits of those fish species of the reservoir
has not been systematically studied and explored. The necessity of conducting this study was
to fill gaps in such biologically essential scientific information for the management and
conservation of this dominant fish species in the reservoir.

Introduction country (Tesfaye & Wolff, 2014). Ethiopia has a high

Ethiopia is said to be the water tower in East Africa
with many lakes (natural and manmade), rivers, and
a chain of wetlands collectively provide the potential
to capture fisheries (Awoke, 2015). The coverage of
lakes, human-made waters, and flood plains are
13,637 km2 while rivers cover about 8,065 km of the
fish production potential estimated at about 94,500
tons per year from lentic and lotic water bodies
(Tesfaye & Wolff, 2014). The Ribb Reservoir is newly
established and capture fishery is expected the live-
lihood of the community. Anteneh et al. (2023) doc-
umented that the actual fish production from the
reservoirs of Ethiopia is estimated as 8,059 tons per

CONTACT Agumassie Tesfahun agumas2012@yahoo.com Department of Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Debre Tabor
University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unre-
stricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the
posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
2 A. TESFAHUN AND S. ALEBACHEW
year which is very low. L. intermedius (Pisces:
Cyprinidae) (Ruppell, 1836) is a commonly found fish
species in Kenya (Northern) part and the utmost
parts of Ethiopian waters (Gebremedhin et al., 2019;
Shewit et al., 2017; Awoke, 2015). This fish species is
most commonly found in the Ethiopian Rift Valley
system, Abay Basin, and Baro-Akobo Basin and is
majorly found in the Lake Tana Basin (Awoke, 2015;
Vijverberg et al., 2012; Sibbing & Nagelkerke, 2000).
Labeobarbus intermedius is one of Ethiopian cap-
ture fisheries’ most commercially important fish spe-
cies (Anteneh et al., 2012; Dejen et al., 2017). It is
also edible fish from the Ribb Reservoir. Labeobarbus
intermedius has a versatile feeding pattern and also
characterized by a generalist as well as opportunistic
omnivorous feeding behavior (Dadebo et al., 2013).
Labeobarbus intermedius feeds on a variety of food
items such as detritus, macrophytes, zooplankton,
insects, molluscs, fish eggs, fish prey, benthic macro-
invertebrates, nematodes, sand grain, mud, fish scale
gastropods, plant seeds, and phytoplankton (Teshome
et al., 2023; Bekele, 2020; Tesfahun & Temesgen,
2018; Nagelkerke et al., 2015; Engdaw, 2014; Dadebo
et al., 2013; Deribe et al., 2011; Desta et al., 2006; De
Graaf, 2003). Food is one of the most important bio-
logical factors that affect the lives of all organisms
(Teshome et al., 2023). The diet composition of the
fish varies considerably within a wide range of tem-
poral, spatial conditions, and environmental factors
(Teshome et al., 2023; Nagelkerke et al., 2015). The
major factors that influence the diet composition of
L. intermedius are fish size, maturity, environmental
condition, season (water level), depth, latitude and
habitat types (Dadebo et al., 2013; Anteneh et al.,
2012). In aquatic systems, where the water level in
lakes and reservoirs have been known to fluctuate,
the quality and abundance of the food items vary
significantly over a time (Tesfahun & Temesgen,
2018). A particular characteristic of L. intermedius is
that the increase in size during their ontogeny is cor-
related with changes in food quality and quantity in
aquatic systems and growth varies according to the
food availability in the environment (Wakjira, 2013).
The ontogenetic dietary shift of fish is due to the
productivity of the water and habitat differences
(Tesfahun & Temesgen, 2018; Teshome et al., 2023).
The seasonal variation in the diet of the fish is due
to the opportunistic habits of the fish which has the
ability to shift from one food item to another food
item. Besides, the seasonal variation of the food and
feeding habits of fish is also due to the seasonal pro-
duction difference of the prey in the water bodies
(Engdaw, 2014). The study of feeding pattern of
freshwater fish species is a subject of continuous
research (Tesfahun & Temesgen, 2018).
Because it is important for the continuous of an
effective management program on capture fishery
and fish culture (Shalloof & Khalifa, 2009). In addition
to this, studies on food and feeding habits of fish
empower the credentials of the trophic relations
found in the aquatic ecology, understanding diet
composition, structure, and stability of food webs in
the ecosystem (Otieno et al., 2014). Furthermore,
information on food and feeding habits of fish are
also important for fisheries management and aqua-
culture establishment (Adeyemi et al., 2009). Therefore,
understanding its food and feeding habit is import-
ant for effective fish culture in a controlled condition.
In the Ribb Reservoir, a few studies such as the effect
of the dam on fish migration, zooplankton assess-
ment, fish diversity assessment, and food and feeding
habits of the Oreochromis niloticus (Alebachew et al.,
2022; Tesfahun & Alebachew, 2023; Mequanent et al.,
2021, 2022) have been studied, there has so far been
no study on the feeding pattern of L. intermedius,
despite its importance to the commercial fishery of
the area. Such area-specific information on the feed-
ing pattern of this commercially and ecologically
important species is important for management to
sustain fish resources. Therefore, the current study
was conducted to study the feeding pattern of the
African large cyprinid L. intermedius (Rüppel, 1836)
from Ribb Reservoir, South Gondar, Ethiopia.
Materials and methods
Study area descriptions
Ribb Dam was built in the middle of two districts,
Farta and Ebinat, the purpose for irrigation practices
(Mequanent et al., 2022; Bezabih, 2021) (Figure 1).
The Ribb reservoir is located in the northeast of Lake
Tana Basin. The dam is formed when the damming
of Ribb River in the South Gondar Zone Lake Tana
sub-basin The Ribb River is about 130 km long and
has an average drainage area of 1790 km2, with an
average annual drainage area of 14.6331 m3s−1. The
reservoir is situated at 11°59'0" N to 12°2'0"N Latitude
and 38°0'0"E to 38°2'59"E Longitude (Figure 1). The
Ribb Basin is experiencing a higher rate of irrigation,
particularly in the Ribb Reservoir, which increases at
an alarming rate from time to time (Mekuanent
et al., 2021). The climate condition of the reservoir is
categorized from May to July as the rainy season.
The monthly rainfall varies from 65 mm in May to
411 mm in July. At the Ribb Reservoir, the mean and

Figure 1. Study area map shows sampling sites at the Ribb Reservoir, Ethiopia.
the minimum precipitation are about 1,400 mm and
1,200 mm annum-1 respectively. The weather condi-
tion of Ribb Reservoir is also categorized as Woina
Dega (Ezezew, 2019). The annual temperature ranges
from 22.5 °C- 26.2 °C (Mequanent et al., 2022).
Blue-green algae like Microcystis are dominant on
the littoral side of the reservoir (Tesfahun &
Alebachew, 2023). Oreochromis niloticus, Clarias
gariepinus, and Labeobarbus species were found in
the reservoir (Mequanent et al., 2022). Fourteen spe-
cies of zooplankton were inhabited in the reservoir.
Fish sampling, and morphometric measurements
The data collection was performed once per month.
Four hundred ninety-eight fish samples were collected
during the dry and the wet seasons from February to
April 2021 and June to July 2021, respectively. Single
filament gillnets were applied with a mesh size of 4,
5, 6, 8, 10, and 12 cm and 25 m in length. Gillnets
were set in the evening time (7:00 p.m.) and collected
the catch of the following day (7:30 a.m.). Hereafter,
the morphometric measurements such as total length
Cogent Food & Agriculture 3
(TL), fork length (FL), and standard length (SL) were
measured by means of a measuring board of the
nearest 0.1 cm. The weight of the fish (TW) was also
measured via a sensitive balance with a sensitivity
of 0.1 g.
Extraction of gut contents
After morphometric measurements, the fish were lon-
gitudinally (at the ventral side) dissected with a dis-
secting kit. Then, the whole gut contents of L.
intermedius were removed via applied pressure to
extract the contents of the guts. The gut contents
were kept in a 5% formalin solution for further analy-
sis. Lastly, all gut samples were labeled as (date of
sampling, measurement of length and weight, habi-
tats of sampling, fish species, etc.) and transported to
the Debre Tabor University for the gut content analysis.
Gut content analysis
During the laboratory study, the volume of the food
items were measured using a measuring cylinder.
4 A. TESFAHUN AND S. ALEBACHEW
Following this, the preserved foods were placed on
the Petridish and identified (Hyslop, 1980). So, the
microscopic prey types were examined via the
XSZ-70DN dissection microscope model and the
ST-30-2L stereo microscope (100–400 magnification),
and the largest prey was determined without the aid
of the microscope. The identified food types were
grouped to the lowest taxonomic level by using
descriptions, keys, and literature (Vuuren et al., 2008;
Carling et al., 2004). The food items were determined
by relative measures of prey quantities (RMPQ)
(Hyslop, 1980). The relative importance of each prey
type in the total food content of the gut was studied
based on percentage frequency (%Q) and percent-
age contribution (%V) (Assis, 1996).
Frequency of occurrence
The number of gut specimens contain one or more
food types is stated in percentages of all
food-contained guts. The role of each food item cat-
egory in the total stomach contents was analyzed by
the percentage frequency of occurrence (%Q)
(Bowen, 1983; Hyslop, 1980).
The frequency of occurrence was estimated as:
ni
%Oi = x100(1)
n Data analysis
where %Oi = frequency of occurrence of the i food
item in the sample; ni = number of guts in which the
i item is found; n = total number of food contained
guts in the sample (Bowen, 1983).
Volumetric analysis
Food types identified in the gut contents were cate-
gorized into different taxonomic classes. Then, water
displaced in each category of foods is measured in
partially filled graduated cylinders and represents a
percentage of total stomach volume (Bowen, 1983).
The volumetric analysis method (%Vi) was esti-
mated as:
Volume of particular food item present in all samples
% Vi =
Volume of all food items in all samples
where %Vi is the percentage of volume.
The frequency of occurrence (%Qi) reflects evi-
dence of the proportion of fish guts that includes
specific prey (Hyslop, 1980). The mean volume of
each food type is measured visually compared to all
the food types existing in the guts.
Gut content analysis parameters such as frequency
of occurrence (%Qi) and volumetric percentage (%Vi,
ml) were used to determine the index of food pre-
ponderance (PIi) and geometric importance of
index (GIIi).
To measure the relative importance of each food
item the index of preponderance (IoPi) was calcu-
lated as (Tomojiri et al., 2019).
IoPi = ( %Vi )( %Oi )(3)
where Qi is the frequency of occurrence of species i
and %Vi is the percent composition by volume of
species i. To understand comparisons among species,
IoPi was converted into percent IoPi (%IoPi). Besides,
to evaluate the relative importance of food items
and species-level dietary changes, the Geometric
Index of Importance (GIIi) (Assis, 1996) was mea-
sured as:
( ∑ RMPQi)
GIIi = (4)
√n
where RMPQi = percentage of volume and frequency
of occurrence (as a percentage of total occurrences)
and n = total number of RMPQ. The index of GIIi value
ranges from 0 to 1 (1–100%), with values close to 0
indicating feeding specialization and values close to
1.0 representing generalization (Hurlbert, 1978).
Gut content analysis and feeding profiles in relation
to season and size class of L. intermedius in the Ribb
Reservoir were studied using the percentage of volu-
metric contribution, frequency occurrence, prepon-
derance importance index (IoP), and geometric
importance of index (GIIi) of the five size classes
(<16.5, 17.0–21.5, 22.0–26.0, 26.2–31.0 and >31.5 cm
FL), and seasons (the dry and the wet) of the year
(Matunguru et al., 2023; Tomojiri et al., 2019).
Frequency of occurrence (%O), volumetric contribu-
tions (%V), and other descriptive statistics were ana-
lyzed by Microsoft Excel 2016. SPSS version 20 was
used to investigate the diet composition and feeding
habits variations within the seasons and the size
classes of the L. intermedius via a Chi-square test (χ2)
x 100(2)
at a 95% confidence level.
Results
Feeding pattern of Labeobarbus intermedius
A total of 498 samples of L. intermedius were col-
lected in this study. From these samples, 302 (60.6%)
guts had different foods, while 196 (39.4%) were
empty guts. The gut content of L. intermedius
 Cogent Food & Agriculture 5

consisted of diversified prey types such as mud,
detritus, zooplankton, phytoplankton, insects, ostra-
cods, sand particles, and macrophytes (Table 1).
Detritus (%O = 98.7 and %V = 61.6) was the most
ingested food type followed by mud (%O = 79.8 and
%V = 24.4), zooplankton, and phytoplankton in the
gut contents of L. intermedius. However, insects, sand
particles, ostracods, and macrophytes were occasion-
ally consumed in the fish diet. The percentage of the
geometric importance index (%GIIi) showed that
detritus was the major prey type ingested by the fish
(Figure 2 and Table 1). In the same way, based on
this index, mud, zooplankton, and phytoplankton,
were the second most significant prey types in L.
intermedius diet, while sand grains, macrophytes,
ostracods, and insects were irregularly consumed.
Zooplankton (Rotifers, Copepods, and Cladocera)
jointly occurred in 100% of the total food consumed
and comprised 3.9% of the total volume in the total
guts. Phytoplankton (blue-green algae, green algae,
and euglenoids) collectively contributed 98.3% of the
total guts and accounted for 2.8% of the total vol-
ume. The preponderance index (%IoP) of prey types
such as detritus, mud, zooplankton, and phytoplank-
ton were 69.5, 22.3, 4.5, and 3.2 respectively. Detritus
(%GIIi = 60.5%) was the main preferred food type in
the gut of the fish. Mud (%GIIi = 39.3%), phytoplank-
ton (%GIIi = 38.2%), and zooplankton (%GIIi = 39.2%)
showed the second preferred food types in the diet.
In contrast, the other food items such as insects (%PI
= 0.3%; %GIIi = 7.2%), ostracods (%PI = 0.03%; %GIIi
= 1.6%), sand particles (%PI = 0.3%; %GIIi = 8.3%),
and macrophytes (%PI = 0.02%; %GIIi = 1.9%) con-
tributed less in the diet of L. intermedius (Table 1 and
Figure 2).
Feeding pattern with respect to the size class
In this study, similar food types were studied in the
guts of all size classes. However, the proportions of
different food items were significantly varied in rela-
tion to the size classes (χ2, p < 0.05). Detritus was the
principal significant food type followed by mud and
insects for the size class below 16.5 cm (FL) (Figure 3).
Their equivalent volumetric contributions were 64.2%,
18.7%, and 7.3% of the total volume in the gut com-
positions of this size class respectively. However, food
items such as phytoplankton (%V = 4.6) and zooplank-
ton (%V = 4.9) had a minor contribution to the diet of
the fish of this size class.
Detritus was the most frequently consumed food
type for the size class of 17.0–21.5 cm (FL). It consti-
tuted 68.7% of the total volume of the guts. In addi-
tion, mud (%V = 17.9) was the next preferred food
item in this size class. While, remaining food items
such as zooplankton (%V = 5.2), phytoplankton
(%V = 3.1), and insects (%V = 1.0) had minor volumet-
ric importance in the diet of the fish.
Detritus was the most important food item for the
size class ranging between 22.0 and 26.0 cm (FL). It
accounted for 47.1% of the total volume in the diet
of this size class. Mud was the second significant
food item in this size class and its volumetric contri-
butions belong to 39.1% of the total volume.
However, food items including phytoplankton
(%V = 2.6) and zooplankton (%V = 4.3) had less impor-
tance to the diet of the fish this size class.
Detritus was the most important food item for the
size class of 26.2–31.0 cm (FL). It constituted 55.8% of
the total volume of the diet. Mud was the next con-
sumed food item in this size class and its volumetric
contribution was 33.0%. However, other food items

Table 1. Proportions of different food items in the diet of L.

intermedius (n = 302) in Ribb Reservoir, Ethiopia.
Food items %Oi %Vi %IoP %GIIi
Zooplankton 100 3.9 4.5 39.2
Cladocera 64.2 2.7 2.0 25.3
Copepod 19.2 1.2 0.3 7.7
Rotifer 2.0 0.06 0.01 0.8
Phytoplankton 98.3 2.8 3.2 38.2
Blue-green algae 67.9 1.3 1.0 26.1
Green algae 52.9 0.4 0.3 20.1
Euglenoids 57.9 1.1 0.7 22.3
Detritus 98.7 61.6 69.5 60.5
Insects 17.5 1.5 0.3 7.2
Ostracods 3.3 1.0 0.03 1.6 Figure 2. The mean relative geometric index importance
Sand particles 20.9 1.2 0.3 8.3
(%GIIi) in the diet of L. intermedius (n = 302) from Ribb
Macrophytes 4.7 0.3 0.02 1.9
Mud 79.8 24.4 22.3 39.3 Reservoir (DT- detritus; MD-mud, PT–Phytoplankton; ZP–
Percentage frequency of occurrence (%Qi), percentage of volumetric Zooplankton; DT– detritus; SAG-sand grain; and OC-ostracod.
contribution (%Vi), percentage index of preponderance (%IoP) and Dotted vertical lines separate the different grades of favorite
Geometric Index of Importance (GIIi). food items).
6 A. TESFAHUN AND S. ALEBACHEW

Figure 3. The size class variation in the diet of L. intermedius in Ribb Reservoir, Ethiopia.

such as zooplankton (%V = 3.1) and phytoplankton Table 2. The mean relative importance of food items in the
(%V = 3.2) contributed less importance to the diet of diet of L. intermedius (n = 229) during the dry season in
the fish this size class. Ribb Reservoir, Ethiopia.
Detritus was by far the most ingested food type Food items %Oi %Vi %IoP %GIIi

for the size class of >31.5 cm (FL). It comprised Dry Wet Dry Wet Dry Wet Dry Wet
Detritus 98.3 97.2 47.8 75.6 51.8 92.9 52.2 72.0
71.9% of the total volume of diets. Mud (%V = 9.6) Zooplankton 87.3 13.7 4.7 1.8 4.5 0.3 32.9 6.5
was a moderately ingested food item in this size Cladocera 83.9 – 3.6 – 3.3 – 31.3 –
class. However, other food items such as zooplank- Copepod 20.4 13.1 1.4 1.8 0.3 0.3 7.8 6.2
Rotifer 1.7 – 0.08 – 0.00 – 0.6 –
ton (%V = 3.0), phytoplankton (%V = 3.1), and insects Phytoplankton 75.2 24.6 1.2 1.3 1.0 0.4 27.3 10.8
(%V = 2.4) were consumed in the smallest amount in Blue-green 34.8 6.8 0.6 0.2 0.25 0.01 12.6 2.9
algae
the diet of the fish in this size class. In this study, Green algae 30.4 – 0.3 – 0.1 – 11.0 –
detritus was the most preferred food type followed Euglenoids 10 17.8 0.3 1.1 0.03 0.2 3.7 7.9
Mud 97.8 13.7 32.4 1.1 34.9 0.2 46.5 6.2
by mud in the guts of L. intermedius in all size Insect 73.9 41.4 7.9 11.4 6.4 6.0 29.2 22.0
classes. However, their relative proportion is signifi- Ostracods 17 – 0.5 – 0.1 – 6.3 –
Sand particles 30.4 – 2.3 – 0.8 – 11.7 –
cantly varied among the size classes (χ2, p < 0.05) Macrophytes 21.7 5.4 1.7 3.7 0.4 0.3 8.4 3.8
(Figure 3). Percentage frequency of occurrence (%Qi), percentage of volumetric
contribution (%Vi), percentage index of preponderance (%IoP) and
Geometric Index of Importance (GIIi).

Seasonal variations in the feeding pattern of

Labeobarbus intermedius
The seasonal variations in the guts of L. intermedius
were shown in (Table 2) from Ribb Reservoir. From
the present study, the results showed that notable
seasonal differences in the diet of the fish were
noted (χ2, p < 0.05). During the dry season, detritus
(%IoP = 51.8 and %GIIi = 52.2) was the most signifi-
cant food item contributing to 98.3% of the total
guts, and accounting for 47.8% of the total volume.
Mud (%IoP = 34.9 and %GIIi = 46.5), insects (%IoP =
6.4 and %GIIi = 29.2), and zooplankton (%IoP = 4.5
and GIIi%=32.9) were secondary food items in the
diet of the fish. They occurred in 97.8%, 73.9% and
87.3% of the total guts respectively and their volu-
metric contributions were 32.4%, 7.9%, and 4.7% by
volume respectively (Table 2). However, food types
such as phytoplankton (%V = 1.2) (%IoP = 1.0 and
%GIIi = 27.3), sand particles (%V = 2.3) (%IoP = 0.8
and %GIIi = 11.8), ostracod (%V = 0.5) (%IoP = 0.1
and %GIIi = 6.3), and macrophyte (%V = 1.7) (%IoP =
0.4 and %GIIi = 8.4) had less contribution to the diet
of the fish.
During the wet season, detritus was by far the
most significant food category in the guts of L. inter-
medius. It occurred for 97.2% of the total guts and its
corresponding volumetric contribution was 75.6% of
the total volume. Insects (%O = 41.4 and %V = 11.4)
were also the second important prey type in the diet
of the fish. Moreover, the %IoP and %GIIi indices also
revealed that detritus (%IoP = 92.9 and %GIIi = 72.0)
was by far the most preferred food item in the diet
during the wet season. Insects (%IoP = 6.0 and %GIIi
= 22.0) were the second most important food items
in the diet of the fish. However, zooplankton (%IoP =
0.3 and %GIIi = 6.5), phytoplankton (%IoP = 0.4 and
%GIIi = 10.4), macrophyte (%IoP = 0.3 and %GIIi =
3.8), and mud (%IoP = 0.2 and %GIIi = 6.2) and their
respective volumetric contributions were 1.8%, 1.3%,
3.7%, and 1.1% respectivelyhave less contribution to
the diet of the fish during the wet season (Table 2).

Discussion
Gut contents and feeding profiles of
Labeobarbus intermedius
In this study, L. intermedius was consumed several food
types such as mud, detritus, zooplankton, phytoplank-
ton, insects, ostracods, sand particles, and macro-
phytes. Of these aforementioned food types, detritus
(%O = 98.7 and %V = 61.6) was the most ingested food
type followed by mud (%O = 79.8 and %V = 24.4), zoo-
plankton, and phytoplankton in the gut contents of L.
intermedius. But, insects, sand particles, ostracods, and
macrophytes were rarely investigated in the diet of the
fish. Mud was mainly fed by Labeobarbus forskalii from
the upper Blue Nile River (Teshome et al., 2023). It was
also reported that detritus is the main food source of
L. intermedius in Ethiopian Lakes in Tana (Engdaw,
2014; De Graaf, 2003), Koka (Dadebo et al., 2013), in
the upper Blue Nile River (Teshome et al., 2023), Tekeze
Reservoir (Gebru, 2020) and in Ethiopian water bodies
(Tesfahun & Temesgen, 2018). The ingestion of detritus
as the main food item in the diet of fish is an indicator
of the reduction of high-quality foods. Because detri-
tus has low nutritional quality (Bowen, 1979). From
this study, the contribution of insects was low.
However, insects were primarily ingested by
Labeobarbus nedgia in the upper Blue Nile River
(Teshome et al., 2023). This might be due to a lack of
aquatic macrophytes because they serve as surface
film assemblage of benthic macroinvertebrates. In con-
trast to the present study, insects, gastropods, fish
prey, and fish scales were as primarily consumed in
the diet of L. intermedius in Lake Hawassa (Bekele,
2020; Desta et al., 2006). Mud (%GIIi = 39.3%), was the
second important food type in the diet of the fish. This
may be due to human impacts such as high sediment
loads, high irrigation activities, and uncontrolled use of
land around the Ribb reservoir buffer area (Tesfahun &
Alebachew, 2023). Additionally, the reason may be
variations in physicochemical water quality parameters,
water levels fluctuate when water resources are needed
for irrigation and water extraction purposes (Tesfahun
& Temesgen, 2018). The food and feeding habits of L.
intermedius rely on seasonal differences, prey availabil-
ity, habitat variation, and fish size classes (Teshome
et al., 2023; Tesfahun & Temesgen, 2018; Desta et al.,
2006; Admassu & Dadebo, 1997).
Feeding pattern with respect to the size class
Fish prefer the type of prey that fits into their mouths
and the type of prey that their stomach can digest
(Otieno et al., 2014). As fish grow, the stomach
Cogent Food & Agriculture 7
enlarges and their digestive system develops (Wakil
et al., 2014). From this study, L. intermedius did not
show considerable ontogenetic dietary shift, where
small and sized fish consumed similar food types. This
may be due to lack of small sized fish (fingerlings) in
the specimen during data collection. However, the
proportions of different food items were significantly
varied in relation to the size classes (χ2, p < 0.05).
Detritus was the most important food type followed
by mud and insects for the size class < 16.5 cm (FL).
In agreement to this study, detritus and insects were
the most important food items for the smallest fish in
Lake Koka (Dadebo et al., 2013). In contrast to this
study, the smallest fish mainly fed on phytoplankton
followed by detritus in the upper Blue Nile River
(Teshome et al., 2023). Furthermore, L. intermedius did
not show ontogenetic dietary shifts from Lakes
Hawassa (Bekele, 2020) and Tana (Engdaw, 2014).
Similar preferability of this fish shows can be due to
the development of similar morphological and physi-
ological features and the feeding of similar foods. Fish
change their feeding behavior from one food item to
other with the high-energy demands as they grow
(Dadebo, 2009). The growing energy demand of the
fish cannot be met by feeding only on a particular
food item. This enables them to shift their feeding
behavior from consuming a particular food item to
generalist behavior (Bekele, 2020). The ontogenetic
diet shift of the fish also correlate with the differences
in morphology and physiological conditions, the type
of water, and the habitat of the fish (Engdaw, 2014).
For instance, the smallest fishes inhabiting in the litto-
ral region and feeds invertebrates and zooplankton
(Dadebo, 2009). As their size increases, they swim in
open water and feed large food items once their mor-
phological and physiological features developed.
Detritus was by far the most important food type
for the larger size class of >31.5 cm (FL). It comprised
71.9% of the total volume of diet. A comparable
study was conducted from Lake Koka that detritus
was the main food source for larger-sized fish
(Dadebo et al., 2013). However, in the upper Blue
Nile River the larger fish species mainly fed on phy-
toplankton (Teshome et al., 2023). The ontogenetic
dietary shift may be due to the productivity of the
water and habitat differences of the fish.
Seasonal variations in the feeding pattern of
Labeobarbus intermedius
From the present study, the results showed that
notable seasonal differences in the proportion of
food items the fish were noted (χ2, p < 0.05).
8 A. TESFAHUN AND S. ALEBACHEW
Throughout the dry season, detritus (%IoP = 51.8
and %GIIi = 52.2) was the most significant food
item contributing to 98.3% of the total guts, and
accounted for 47.8% of the total volume. In the
same way, Lake Koka (Dadebo et al., 2013) docu-
mented that detritus followed by insects were the
main food item in the diet of the fish during the
dry season. However, phytoplankton was reported
as the main food item during the dry season from
the upper Blue Nile River (Teshome et al., 2023).
This seasonal difference in the diet of L. intermedius
may be caused by the variation in the physico-
chemical parameters of the reservoir. Additionally,
this may be due to the high turbidity of the reser-
voir may be due to the water abstraction and water
release for irrigation purposes (personal observa-
tion). The seasonal variation in the diet of the fish
may be due to the opportunistic habits of the fish
which has the ability of shifting from one food item
to another food item. Besides, the seasonal varia-
tion of the food and feeding habits of L. intermedius
also may be due to the seasonal production differ-
ence of the preys in the reservoir. Furthermore, the
feeding habits of fish correlates with the availability
of preys in the reservoir.
During the wet season, detritus was by far the
most important food item in the guts of L. interme-
dius. It occurred in97.2% of the total guts and its cor-
responding volumetric contribution was 75.6%.
Insects (%O = 41.4 and %V = 11.4) were also the sec-
ond important prey type in the diet of the fish. The
importance of detritus and insects as major foods
were also reported in Gilgel Gibe Reservoir (Wakjira,
2013), Lake Koka (Dadebo et al., 2013), and upper
Blue Nile River (Teshome et al., 2023). Similarly, L.
nedgia primarily fed insects in the upper Blue Nile
River (Teshome et al., 2023). In contrast to this study,
L. forskalii mainly consumed phytoplankton followed
by mud from the upper Blue Nile River (Teshome
et al., 2023). During the wet season, detritus was far
the most important food item, the source of detritus
could be probably floods that introduced fragments
of plant materials in the lake. Overall, the current
results showed that seasonality affects L. intermedius’
proportion of food and prey types in the Ribb
reservoir.
Conclusions
This result indicated a preference for detritus as the
main food, followed by mud, phytoplankton, and
zooplankton. Detritus followed by mud was the
most important food item of all sizes, but its
proportions were different. Smaller fish and larger
fish were fed similar food types. Prey species such
as detritus and zooplankton and phytoplankton
were the most preferred foods in the dry season.
While insects and detritus were the most important
food in L. intermedius’ diet during the wet season. L.
intermedius revealed omnivorous feeding pattern in
their diet from the Ribb Reservoir. Generally, feed-
ing pattern of fish are affected by habitat differ-
ences, seasons, and the size class of fish in the
reservoir.
Acknowledgments
The authors highly acknowledged the research directorate
and research vice president’s office of Debre Tabor University
for their financial support. We are also very thankful to the
Guna Tana Integrated Field Research Development Centre
Debre Tabor University for helping with the financial provi-
sion and vehicle support.
Author’s contribution
Agumassie Tesfahun: Conceptualization, Methodology,
Software: Agumassie Tesfahun. Data curation, writing-
original draft preparation. Agumassie Tesfahun
Visualization and Investigation. Sale Alebachew,
Supervision.: Agumassie Tesfahun Software, Validation.:
Sale Alebachew and Agumassie Tesfahun: Writing-
Reviewing and Editing.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the
authors.
Availability of data
All the data sets used in this manuscript are accessible to
the corresponding author via a reasonable request.
Notes on contributors
Agumassie Tesfahun pursued his MSc
Degree in Fisheries, Limnology, and
Aquatic-eco-toxicology from Hawassa
University, Ethiopia. Now, he is the
Assistant Professor at the Department of
Biology, Debre Tabor University, Ethiopia.
In addition, he has been working in
community service and research on fish-
eries biology of the most commercially important fish spe-
cies from Ribb Reservoir Tana basin, Ethiopia, and
aquaculture establishment (earthen pond system) from
Fogera District, South Gondar, Ethiopia.

Sale Alebachew was received his MSc Degree in Animal
Production from Debre Markos University, Ethiopia.
Nowadays, he is a lecturer and researcher at the
Department of Animal Sciences, Debre Tabor University,
Ethiopia. Moreover, he has been working on fisheries biol-
ogy of the most commercially important fish species from
Ribb Reservoir Tana basin, Ethiopia, and aquaculture estab-
lishment (earthen pond system) from Fogera District, South
Gondar, Ethiopia.
ORCID
Agumassie Tesfahun http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6387-0546
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