The aim of this work was to evaluate the relationship between diet and features of the trophic ecomorphology of Satanoperca pappaterra (Heckel, 1840) in an impacted environment. Samples were collected from March 2000 to February 2003 in Manso Reservoir, Cuiabá River, Mato Grosso State. Analysis of 93 stomachs contents showed that food resources associated with the substrate, such as plant remains, detritus, fish scales and Chironomidae larvae, dominated the diet. Consequently this species was characterized as a detritivorous-invertivorous. However, individuals collected in 2003 showed a greater selection of benthic organisms in relation to previous periods. Morphological structures such as position of the mouth, form of the lips, gill rakers and pharyngeal teeth, in addition to the length of the intestine, showed specializations correlated with the diet. However, as long as the food was associated with the substrate, it seemed to be selected according to its abundance in the environment.
Cichlidae; diet; morphology; freshwater
