Some aspects of the feeding habits and the morphology of the digestive tracts of Prochilodus lineatus (Osteichthyes, Prochilo-dontidae) are investigated in Lagoa Dourada, Ponta Grossa, Paraná. A total of 102 specimens were caprured between April 1993 and April 1994. From each specimen, the following measurements were determined: total and standard length, weight, sex, length of abdominal cavity. Histological and anatomical analyses were performed on the buccal cavity, pharynx, stomach, and intestine. P. lineatus is a ilyophagous species with short and numerous incisiform teeth attached to the lips and no pharyngeal teeth. The gill rakers are thick, oblique, and laminate. This species has a "U" - ceacal -type of muscular stomach, with well developed mucosal folds. The submucosa of the pyloric region is composed of dense connective tissue and the muscular layer is well developed which characterize a gizzard-type. The intestine is greatly coiled occupying nearly al I the abdominal cavity. The folds of the anterior region are circular and vai var lobulated in the médium and posterior regions.
Osteichthyes; Prochilodus lineatus; feeding habits; digestive tract morphology