Patterns of food resource utilization by Burbus bocngeiin a lowkdnd river in the central part of the Iberian Peninsula are presented and discussed. Focal points include feeding activity, diet composition and seasonal and ontogenetic diet shifts. Striking features of overall feeding pattern of barbel are its continuous feeding activity, bottom habits, high consumption of detritus and dipteran larvae and narrow diet breadth. Seasonal changes in food resource availability elicited changes in food utilization patterns, revealing a trend to more generalist feeding during spring. Barbel increase consumption of plant material and large prey during ontogeny, but overlap in prey resource utilization between size classes is high. The versatility of barbel foraging behaviour may be an important feature in its exploitation of Iberian lotic systems.
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