European Journal of Biotechnology and Bioscience

European Journal of Biotechnology and Bioscience Online ISSN: 2321-9122, Impact Factor: RJIF 5.44 www.biosciencejournals.com Volume 5; Issue 2, March 2017; Page No. 08-12

Comparative study on food and feeding habits of and Hyporhamphus gaimardi (Order: Beloiniformes) Dr. K Rama Rao Asst. Prof., Dept. of Zoology, Govt. Degree & PG College, Satavahana University, Jammikunta, Karimnagar, Telangana, India

Abstract A comparative study on the food and feeding habits of Xenentodon cancila and Hyporhamphus gaimardi from Lower Manair Dam revealed that the feeding habits were studied for a period of one year from August, 2015 to July, 2016. Both fishes feed on and plant origin food materials. The food and feeding habit of the freshwater fishes has revealed that X. cancila and H. gaimardi are carnivorous and herbivorous habitats. The main food organism contributes of the vertebrates 35.56%, plant materials 13.81%, fish remains 11.70%, crustaceans/ insect parts 9.96% in X. Cancila. H. gaimardi major feed is plant materials 25.94%, crustaceans/ insect parts were 8.85%, fish remains 6.18%, vertebrates 4.10% in frequency of occurrence method. In numerical method it reveals that the highest food organisms are vertebrates 43.46%, lowest food organisms crustaceans/insect parts 12.18% in X. Cancila. H. gaimardi has contributes highest food organisms are plant materials 54.86% and lowest of vertebrates food organisms 8.67%.

Keywords: food and feeding habits, food organisms, vertebrates, plant materials frequency of occurrence method, numerical method

1. Introduction (microscopic and macroscopic) and groups. The Fishes have been reported to be the most important food item dietary analysis of fish in their natural habitats enhances the among other materials like insects, planktons, snails, detritus, understanding of the growth, abundance, productivity and fish remains, algae and macrophytes [1-2]. Studies on natural distribute on of organisms. Condition factor is used as an feeding of fish could provide useful information on the trophic index of growth and feeding intensity and decrease with relationships in aquatic eco- systems [3], which could be used increase in length. in formulating management strategy options in a multi fishery. Pius and Benedicta [4] reported that the use of stomach 1.1 Feeding Patterns content in reducing intra and inter specific competition for Understanding a consumer’s feeding patterns requires more ecological niche. Feeding frequency can be estimated from the than knowledge of the prey items that make up its diet. The total time required to complete gastric evacuation and the dynamics of the feeding process must be accounted for, and proportion of empty stomachs in a sample [5]. The study of the thus to understand the ecological interaction between predator feeding habits of fish and other based upon analysis of and prey we must have knowledge of the amount of food stomach content has become standard practice [6]. Stomach ingested and the feeding frequency of the predator. Analysis content analysis provides important insight into fish feeding of stomach contents allows inference of feeding patterns patterns and quantitative assessment of food habits is an through reconstruction of meal sizes, ingestion times, feeding important aspect of fisheries management. Lagler [7] pointed duration, and feeding frequency. The frequency of occurrence out that the gut contents only indicate what the fish would feed of empty stomachs, the number, weight, and stage of digestion on. Accurate description of fish diets and feeding habits also of food items, in combination with knowledge on the gastric provides the basis for understanding trophic interactions in evacuation dynamics of each food item, all give insight into aquatic food webs. Diets of fishes represent an integration of the feeding pattern of a predator. many important ecological components that included All organisms need food for their survival. Food is the main behavior, condition, habitat use, energy intake and inter/intra source of energy and plays an important role in determining specific interactions. the abundance of population, rate of growth and condition of A food habit study might be conducted to determine the most fishes. Feeding is a dominant activity of most of the organisms frequently consumed prey or to determine the relative through their entire life cycle and same is true with the fish importance of different food types to fish nutrition and to also [8]. The study of food and feeding habits of fishes have quantify the consumption rate of individual prey types. Each manifold importance in fishery biology. A thorough of these questions requires information on fish diets and knowledge of food and feeding habit is also necessary for necessitates different approaches in how one collects and understanding biochemical composition of fish on one hand analyzes data. Here, we outline qualitative and quantitative and for a successful fish forming or aquaculture on the other. techniques used to describe food habits and feeding patterns of The food and feeding habits of fish vary with time of day, fishes. The natural habitats offer a great diversity of organisms season, species and size of the fish with different food that are used as food by fish, which differ in sizes substances present in the water body and its ecological factors. 8

European Journal of Biotechnology and Bioscience

The knowledge of food and feeding habit helps to select such Reservoir is built across the Manair River, a tributary of the species of fish for cultures, which are optimum yielding Godavari River. The construction of the Reservoir was started varieties, utilizing the available potential food of the water in 1974 and was finished in 1985. The Lower Manair bodies properly without any competition among themselves. Reservoir is situated at Kakatiya Canal about 146.00 km to The importance of study of food and feeding habit of fish lies 234 kms and Distributaries D 84 to D 94 and DBM 1 to in the fact that one can decide as to what programme should DBM2. LMD water goes up to 2, 62,326 ac s. The maximum be taken up for the development of the water bodies to get height of the dam is around 27 m and the catchment area of more fish. river 6,475 sq.km. Reservoir full level is 280.416 mt. Full Lower Manair Reservoir is situated in Karimnagar District of capacity of reservoir is 0.68 TM Cusmecs. Water spread area Telangana state. This is a large new impoundment of Godavari is 81.024 sq. km. Lower The total area of the reservoir is about basin with medium productive potential. The Lower Manair 8,103 hectare and maximum depth is 21.9m.

2. Materials and Methods 2.3 Numerical count method 2.1 Study Area The food items were identified taking a portion of the gut Lower Manair Reservoir is situated in Karimnagar District of material. The whole volume of the sample was scanned under Telangana state. This is a large new impoundment of Godavari a microscope. The number of individuals identified was basin with medium productive potential. The Lower Manair counted and a total number of food items were found out. The Reservoir is built across the Manair River, a tributary of the percentage of individual food item was also determined and Godavari River. The Lower Manair Reservoir is situated at recorded. This method was given by Hynes (1950) [11]. Kakatiya Canal about 146.00 km to 234 kms and Percentage of numerical count Distributaries D 84 to D 94 and DBM 1 to DBM2. LMD water = Number of individual food item x 100 goes up to 2, 62,326 ac s. The maximum height of the dam is Total number of food items around 27 m and the catchment area of river 6,475 sq.km. Water spread area is 81.024 sq. km. The total area of the 3. Results reservoir is about 8,103 hectare and maximum depth is 21.9m. In the present investigation a total of 678 numbers of fishes the total standard length was measured ranged from 18.4- 2.2 Collection of fish samples 24.7cm and 11.2-17.8 cm respectively and gut content Fishes were collected and identified from Lower Manair Dam, analysed (Fig 2, 3, 4, 5). The average percentage along with Karimnagar district by using longnets and gill nets operated by Standard Deviation of Frequency of occurrence method of local fisherman [9-10]. Out of 669 fishes of Xenentodon cancila various food organisms in 243 Xenentodon cancila (Fig 2) and numbered 356 and Hyporhamphus gaimardi were 313 (Table 206 Hyporhamphus gaimardi (Fig 4) analysed from August 1). After collection, the total length (in cm) of the fishes were 2015 to July 2016 (Table 2). The gut content of X. cancila measured. The specimens were dissected to remove the contributes major food organisms are vertebrates 86.42 ± stomachs which were preserved in 4 % formaldehyde. The 12.45 (35.56%) followed by plant materials 33.55 ± 7.25 contents of each stomach were examined separately under a (13.81%), fish remains 28.43 ± 6.52 (11.70%), miscellaneous Stereo binocular microscope. The food items were sorted out, 26.25 ± 8.42 (10.80%) and crustaceans/insect parts 24.22 ± identified and counted. The size range of the food organisms 2.33 (9.96%). The gut content of H. gaimardi contributes was recorded. The occurrence method [11] was employed to major food organisms are plant materials 53.44 ± 9.42 express the percentage occurrence of each food item in the (25.94%) followed by crustaceans/insect parts 18.22 ± 6.42 total number of stomachs examined in each month. The (8.85%), fish remains 12.75 ± 4.56 (6.18), vertebrates 08.44 ± quantity of food organisms of various major groups was 2.13 (4.10%) and Miscellaneous 04.56 ± 1.34 (2.21%) (Fig 6). estimated by displacement method. Point method was used in In the both species of fishes small quantity of digested evaluating the average feeding intensity. gelatinous food was observed in the stomach content. The 9

European Journal of Biotechnology and Bioscience highest percentage of empty stomachs were noticed in X. vertebrates and miscellaneous items. The similar study cancila is 40.00% in February 2016 and the lowest percentage indicated in X. cancila depends mainly on the animal material of empty stomachs is 13.64% in March 2016. The highest i.e., zooplankton, crustaceans, round worms, insects, parts of percentages of empty stomachs were noticed in H. gaimardi is insect, insects larvae and molluscans [12]. In the gut of X. 53% in July 2016 and lowest percentage of empty stomachs is cancila the worm, aquatic insect, crustacean, mollusc and 11.11% in March 2016 (Table 1). fishes found in the stomach contributes the maximum when In the numerical method of various food organisms in biomass of food is considered. Thus, on the basis of number of Xenentodon cancila and Hyporhamphus gaimardi from were items, it may be concluding that both fishes are eury- observed from August 2015 to July 2016 (Table 3, Fig 7). In omnivorous but on the basis of biomass of food items both the X. cancila contributes major food organisms were The phytoplankton was found dominant group (58.05%) vertebrates 32.00% followed by crustaceans/insect parts followed by, zooplankton 23.39%, macro-invertebrate 27.56%, fish remains 18.37%, plant materials12.59% and 12.14%, vertebrate 1.22% and miscellaneous items 5.19%. miscellaneous 9.48% were noticed. In H. gaimardi contributes fishes can be easily categorised as carnivorous fish [13]. major food organisms were plant materials 36.79%, Hyporhamphus gaimardi consumed the maximum algal crustaceans/insect parts 25.28%, vertebrates 16.48%, material (54.86%), the similarity was observed in miscellaneous 11.06% and fish remains 10.38%. According to Hyporhamphus melanochir during the day, green eelgrass the character of diet Xenentodon cancila consume more tissue was present in the guts of 93 % of fish; it constituted number of animal organisms i.e, their food comprise of animal almost 70 % of the total volume of food consumed [14]. Insects matter was found dominant group and less number of were also important prey, and amphipods and natantian larvae vegetable matter. Hyporhamphus gaimardi consume more made up most of the remaining fo known and have been number of vegetable matter, their food comprise of plant observed taking seagrass leaves which are detached and matter was found dominant group.and less number of animal floating near the water surface [15-16]. Garfish and half-beaks matter. are presumed to be midwater and surface feeding fish [7]. In view of above information, recent study on food and feeding 4. Discussions habits of fish have done by several workers in freshwater In the present investigation the both fishes feed on teleost fishes [17]. crustaceans/insect parts, fish remains, plant materials,

Longnose and Shortnose fishes

Table 1: Analysis of empty stomach of Xenentodon cancila and Hyporhamphus gaimardi

No. of stomachs examined No. of empty stomachs % of empty stomach Month X. cancila H. gaimardi X. cancila H. gaimardi X. cancila H. gaimardi Aug-15 36 32 9 8 25.00 25.00 Sep-15 45 42 11 13 24.44 30.95 Oct-15 38 36 14 12 36.84 33.33 Nov-15 25 38 6 11 24.00 28.95 Dec-15 42 28 16 9 38.10 32.14 Jan-16 33 26 12 12 36.36 46.15 Feb-16 25 28 10 9 40.00 32.14 Mar-16 22 18 3 5 13.64 11.11 Apr-16 14 09 5 3 35.71 33.33 May-16 18 12 6 4 33.33 33.33 Jun-16 26 18 9 7 34.62 38.89 Jul-16 32 26 12 14 37.50 53.84 356 313 113 107

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European Journal of Biotechnology and Bioscience

Table 2: Mean percentage along with Standard Deviation of Frequency of occurrence method of various food organisms in Xenentodon cancila and Hyporhamphus gaimardi from August 2015 to July 2016

Numerical method (356-113= 243) Food organisms X. cancila H. gaimardi no % no % Crustaceans/Insect parts 24.22 ± 2.33 12.18 18.22 ± 6.42 18.71 Fish remains 28.43 ± 6.52 14.30 12.75 ± 4.56 13.09 Plant materials 33.55 ± 7.25 16.90 53.44 ± 9.42 54.86 Vertebrates 86.42 ± 12.45 43.46 8.44 ± 2.13 8.67 Miscellaneous 26.25 ± 8.42 13.20 4.56 ± 1.34 4.68 Digested food - - - -

Table 3: Numerical method of various food organisms in Xenentodon cancila and Hyporhamphus gaimardi from August 2015 to July 2016

Numerical method (356-113= 243) Food organisms X. cancila H. gaimardi no % no % Crustaceans/Insect parts 186 27.56 112 25.28 Fish remains 124 18.37 46 10.38 Plant materials 85 12.59 163 36.79 Vertebrates 216 32.00 73 16.48 Miscellaneous 64 09.48 49 11.06 Digested food 675- - 443- -

5. Conclusion food competition in the same area. Numerically, plant material The result obtained in this study indicated that a similarity in was higher in Hyporhamphus gaimardi comparison to animal the diet of the two species thus suggesting some degree of material. Higher plant material was not observed during 11

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