Feeding habits of two fish species in relation to invertebrate drift in a New Zealand river

The relationship between the composition of the invertebrate drift fauna and the feeding habits of the common river galaxias Galaxias vulgaris and the upland bully Phily pnodon breviceps was examined in the Glentui River, Canterbury, New Zealand, between 1500 h on 12 November and 1500 h on 13 November 1971. The drift consisted of both night‐active and day‐active components. Galaxias vulgaris fed mainly at night, with peaks of feeding at dusk and dawn. Philypnodon breviceps had two peaks of feeding, at midday and midnight, between the peak feeding times of G. vulgaris. Feeding of G. vulgaris on its major food items coincided with the presence of the food items in the drift, whereas feeding of P. breviceps did not coincide with the occurrence of the food items in the drift. It is concluded that G. vulgaris is primarily an open‐water feeder and that P. breviceps searches for food on the river bed.