scholarly journals Food and Feeding Habits of Wedge Clam (Donax cuneatus) Off Thoothukudi, Gulf of Mannar, India

Author(s):  
S. Takar ◽  
P. Jawahar ◽  
U.R. Gurjar ◽  
S.D. Kingston ◽  
N. Neethiselvan ◽  
...  

Background: Bivalves are benthic animals existing in coastal habitats, particularly mudflats and tidal. Because of their availability, rich protein content and cheaper cost, they contribute a major portion of the small-scale fishery resource worldwide. Limited information has been available on the food-feeding and habitat structures of bivalves along Indian waters. Therefore, the present investigation was carried out to know the food-feeding and habitat preferred by wedge clam, Donax cuneatus off Thoothukudi, Gulf of Mannar, India. Methods: Soil, water and wedge clam samples were collected from the selected site from September 2019 to March 2021 and soil texture, water quality parameters and gut contents were analyzed at the laboratory. Result: During the study period, salinity, water temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) were in the range from 31-37°C, 24-28°C, 7.7-8.7 and 4.1-5.8 mg/l, respectively. Wedge clams were mainly observed at sandy beaches up to 10 cm in depth. Donax cuneatus mainly feeds on detritus (65%), followed by phytoplankton (31%) and zooplankton (4%). Hence, the diverse fluctuation of food particles, season-specific food and feeding biology and local environmental conditions at the studied region might be the responsible features for the availability of Donax cuneatus.

Our Nature ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Mostafizur Rahman Mondol ◽  
Dil Afroz Nahar ◽  
Somen Dewan ◽  
Md. Mosaddequr Rahman ◽  
Saleha Jasmine ◽  
...  

The present investigation was conducted in the Agronomy field laboratory of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh during May 1999 to August 1999 to reveal the food and feeding habits of Amblypharyngodon mola in the rice field ecosystem. Percentage of frequency of occurrence and percentage in number methods were used for the qualitative and quantitative estimation of plankton population. Results showed that, during the present study, the water quality parameters were within the suitable range for optimal fish growth and plankton population was abundant in the water of the rice plots. Gut content analysis of A. mola revealed a sum of 32 genera of phytoplankton belonging to Chlorophyceae (17), Euglenophyceae (2), Cyanophyceae (7) and Bacillariophyceae (6) and 8 genera of zooplankton under Rotifera (3), Cladocera (2) and Copepoda (3). In general, Navicula, Fragilaria, Chlorella, Chrysococcus, Closterium, Oscillatoria and Gomphosphaeria were found abundant both in the water of the rice plots and in the gut contents of A. mola indicating that, these genera are preferred food of this fish in the rice field ecosystem. Gut content analysis also exposed that, phytoplankton was the major food item constituting 94.38% of the gut contents’ composition of A. mola whereas zooplankton comprised only 5.62%. The results of this study conclude that, the A. mola is planktivorous in nature, feeding mostly on phytoplankton and could be a suitable species for integrated rice-fish farming.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/on.v11i1.8245 Our Nature Vol.11(1) 2013: 61-75


Author(s):  
Baraka C. Sekadende ◽  
Joseph S. Sululu ◽  
Albogast T. Kamukuru ◽  
Mathias M. Igulu ◽  
Shigalla B. Mahongo

Small pelagic fishes play an important role in the ecosystem by linking planktonic production and higher trophic level predators, and provide a livelihood to both the small-scale and commercial fisher communities. This study analyzed the food and feeding habits of Stolephorus commersonnii (Lacepède, 1803) and Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier, 1817) from the ring-net fishery in Tanga, Tanzania. A total of 1 434 and 320 stomachs of S. commersonnii and R. kanagurta respectively were examined for gut contents using the relative volumetric method. S. commersonnii was found to be a planktivorous carnivore, feeding principally on planktonic penaeid shrimps (48.6%), fish larvae (33.2%) and zooplankton (12.3%). R. kanagurta was found to be carnivorous, feeding predominantly on fish (60.6%), mainly S. commersonnii, while penaeid shrimps, juvenile fish, and juvenile stages of squids formed 26.5% of the total number of food items in R. kanagurta guts. Both S. commersonnii and R. kanagurta exhibited ontogenic diet shifts, where they fed exclusively on small prey as juveniles and consumed larger food items as they grew. The index of vacuity was higher in S. commersonnii (46.1%) than in R. kanagurta (16.6%). This study revealed the importance of penaeid shrimps as food for S. commersonnii, that in turn formed the main food for R. kanagurta. This implied that the two species were able to coexist in the same niche by avoiding interspecific competition for food.


Author(s):  
MA Azadi ◽  
M Nasiruddin ◽  
ASMS Rahman

Food and feeding habits of Gonialosa manmina were done by the analysis of 197 guts of the fish using both occurrence and point methods and also by the Index of preponderance. As per Index of preponderance, the preferred food items were graded as cladocerans (65.34%-1st), copepods (20.96%-2nd), miscellaneous (8.89%-3rd), rotifers (2.81% 4th) and bacillariophyceae (0.77% 5th). High feeding intensity was observed during pre and post spawning months. Significant (P<0.01) positive relationships were observed between the total length (TL) and total gut length (TGL) (TGL=2.09799TL0.89677, r=0.963, t=10.22), total length (TL) and stomach length (StL)(StL=0.18447TL0.7599, r=0.997, t= 39.92), and total length (TL) and intestine length (IL) (IL=0.99105TL1.0256, r=0.9854, t=16.37). Total fish length was slightly shorter than the gut length (1:1.31) and more than 91% animal nature gut contents confirmed that the fish was mainly a surface feeder zooplanktivore in Kaptai lake. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/cujbs.v4i1.13386 The Chittagong Univ. J. B. Sci.,Vol. 4(1&2):53-61, 2009


2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Remya ◽  
P.U. Zacharia ◽  
S.P. Shukla ◽  
Molly Varghese ◽  
A.K. Jaiswar ◽  
...  

The relative condition factor (Kn) based on length-weight relationship and food and feeding habits of Jones’ pony fish Eubleekeria jonesi (James, 1971) off Mandapam waters was studied during December 2016 - April 2018. The Kn values showed variations on a monthly basis with maximum value during September (1.23) for male and March (1.53) for female. Analysis of fullness of stomach of 961 samples within the size range of 51-130 mm revealed 40.87% fishes as actively fed, 36.19% as moderately fed and remaining 22.94% as poorly fed. The monthly mean fullness index (FI) was highest during September for both sexes. Highest gonadosomatic index (GSI), vacuity index (VI) and Kn value were observed during March-April in females, probably indicating a spawning peak and hence meagre feeding, which resulted in lowest fullness index (FI). Fishes of smallest length group (51-70 mm) had highest FI and minimum VI and vice versa. The values of index of relative importance (IRI) indicated that the species was planktivorous as well as detritivorous, with top priority towards crustaceans (27.6%) followed by bivalves (23.6%), foraminifera (15.4%), phytoplankton (12.5%), gastropods (9.1%) and nematodes (8.3%) in the gut contents. Diet did not show significant variation either sex-wise or size-wise.


Author(s):  
Bindu Panicker

Goby fish Parachaeturichthys ocellatus, native to the creeks of Mumbai coast forms a major part of creek fishery for the fishing community inhabiting areas near the creeks. The food and feeding habits of the fish were studied by collecting fish samples every month in from June 2010 to September 2011 from the creeks of Mumbai. The length of the fishes studied ranged between 66mm to 185mm.The body morphology of fish revealed it to be carnivorous benthic and predatory fish. The gut contents of the fish showed the presence of crustaceans as basic food, mollusc and pisces formed the secondary food while detritus formed obligatory food and planktons and other miscellaneous food (larvae of insects, worms, rotiferons, dinoflegellates foraminiferons etc.) were incidental food. An analysis of seasonal variation in food preference and feeding intensity reveal that the male and female P.ocellatus had the same preference throughout the seasons but was different for the juveniles. In P.ocellatus cannibalism was observed, but its occurrence was not regular in the general diet. The relative gut length was 0.68 in male, 0.70 in female and 0.79 in juvenile. The empty guts of P.ocellatus seem to indicate predatory mode of feeding. P.ocellatus occupy the position of secondary and tertiary consumers in the food chain determined by the size and type of the food consumed by the fish.


2009 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 98-107
Author(s):  
Om Hari Shrestha ◽  
Jiwan Shreshta

The fishes (Naziritor chelynoides) were collected in different months with the help of local devices (cast net and tiyari). The collected specimens were dissected in the laboratory and their gut contents were analyzed dividing food items (dietary items) into different groups viz., algae, diatoms, insects and fragments etc. The gut of fish consisted of different dietary items (plant origin and animal origin) indicating Naziritor chelynoides as an omnivorous fish. The average percentage of algae was found as 27.89 and average percentage of insects, diatoms and fragments were found as 20.15, 19.26 and 3.61 respectively. Water quality analysis of the Mardi khola (study area) revealed that the transparency of the water was crystal clear except in the rainy season. The dissolved oxygen was found in an optimum level (12.65mg/ l). The average temperature of the river was found as 19.12°C and the average pH was found as 8.41 during the study period.Key words: Feeding habits; Mardi Khola; omnivorous; water quality analysisJournal of Natural History Museum Vol. 23, 2008 Page 98-107


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-168
Author(s):  
Rama Chandra Ganesh PATURI ◽  
Sarvabhowma Chakravarty MYLA

The food and feeding habits of the shrimp Solenocera melantho off Visakhapatnam coast were studied qualitatively and quantitatively. Feeding intensity differs in relation to gender, size, season and stage of maturity. Detritus was the major component of the food consumed, followed by crustaceans, molluscs, foraminiferans, fish remains, eggs; sand was also found as one of the gut contents. Diet preference in males and females was similar, but varied with size and season. The index of preponderance of detritus was 50.88% in males and 47.16% in females. Variation in feeding intensity was noticed in relation to size, months and season. The overall feeding intensity in males and females was categorized as actively fed (21.52% and 40.78% respectively), moderately fed (22.07%, 19.72%) and poorly fed (14.07%, 27.03%) respectively. S. melantho may designate as an omnivorous detritivore with scavenging activity. 


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Istiaque Hossain ◽  
Suraia Sarmin ◽  
Md. Mahmudul Alam ◽  
Lubna Alam ◽  
Mazlin Bin Mokhtar ◽  
...  

Understanding the interspecific relationships for proper management of an ideal fishery system, food, and feeding habits of fishes are prerequisites. The food and feeding habits including types and amount of feed and seasonal pattern of feeding were studied. 168 Aspidoparia morar were collected from the River Padma, Rajshahi, Bangladesh from May to December, 2011. The relationship between total length and alimentary canal length was tested using OLS regression. Qualitative as well as quantitative analyses of stomach and gut contents of each fish were done by percentage of occurrence and point method and fullness of stomach was measured by fullness index method. Aspidoparia morar was omnivorous due to the presence of both phytoplankton (Chlorophyceae, Euglenophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, Cyanophyceae) and zooplankton (Rotifera, Crustacea) in the gut content. Based on the point method, the average percentage of phytoplankton and zooplankton was 80.71% and 19.29%, respectively. The highest average percentage of fullness was 72.62% in October whereas the lowest was 56.55% in December. The highest average percentage of emptiness recorded was 43.45% in December and the lowest was 27.38% in October. Total length was found statistically positively significant (P0.01) with the alimentary canal length. Overall, the article concludes that Aspidoparia morar is an omnivore with a higher feeding preference for phytoplankton and the food habits change with the seasons based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of food.


Our Nature ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Mostafizur Rahman Mondol ◽  
Md. Mosaddequr Rahman ◽  
Dil Afroz Nahar ◽  
Ferdous Ahamed ◽  
Md. Al-Amin Sarker ◽  
...  

This study describes the diets and feeding habits of Cyprinus carpio in integrated rice-fish farming system in the Agronomy Field Laboratory of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Central Bangladesh during May 1999 to August 1999. Percentage of frequency of occurrence and percentage in number methods were applied for the qualitative and quantitative estimation of plankton. The water quality parameters recorded during the study were within the suitable range for optimal fish growth and plankton populations were also abundant in the water of the rice plots. The phytoplankton population recorded from the gut contents of C. carpio was under 4 groups (viz., Chlorophyceae, Euglenophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Bacillariophyceae) and the zooplankton under 3 groups (viz., Rotifera, Cladocera, Copepoda). Bacillariophyceae and Chlorophyceae were the dominant phytoplankton group while Rotifera was the dominant zooplankton group in the gut contents of C. carpio. This study also revealed that, gut contents of C. carpio was composed of 48.47% phytoplankton and 51.53% zooplankton indicating omnivorous nature of the fish. The availability of plankton population in the rice plots and the food and feeding habits of C. carpio suggest that, this fish could be a vital candidate for integrated rice-fish aquaculture.


1978 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 623 ◽  
Author(s):  
MH Walker

Gut contents were examined in 299 sweetlip emperor L. chrysostomus from the Great Barrier Reef, near Townsville, Qld. Occurrence and points (bulk) methods of analysis were used. Both methods showed that the major dietary items were crustaceans, echinoderms and molluscs, crabs and sea urchins being the most important. Examination of other lethrinids quantitatively and qualitatively suggested that lethrinid species are carnivorous bottom feeders quite selective and individualistic in their diet.


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