Gut contents and feeding pattern of Macrobrachium vollenhovenii (Herklots, 1857) and Caridina africana (Kingsley, 1882) at Asejire Lake and Erin-Ijesa waterfalls, South Western Nigeria
2012
Omoniyi, I.T. | Oyekanmi, F.B. | Akegbejo-Samsons, Y.
A study with intent towards acculturation was carried out on the gut conients and feeding patterns of Macrobrachium vollenhovenii and Caridina africana occurring at Asejire lake and Erin-Ijesa Waterfalls respectively for two years using numerical abundance and frequency of occurrence methods of analysis. There was a strong correlation (p<0.05) between prawn abundance and food availability, The gut content analysis of M. vollenhovenii revealed that juveniles were predominantly zooplanktivorous, feeding on copepods and rotifers while the adults were omnivorous, utilizing a wider variety of animal foods than plant materials. This changing of diets and patterns as the species advances in age has an implication for its culture potentials. Stomach fullness index was high during the wet season which coincided with high abundance of prawns, C. africana fed mainly on diatoms, zooplankton and other micro-phytoplankton, thus an onmivore with herbivorous tendency. The availability of both species in fresh water bodies and their foods revealed that both species can be cultured in earthen ponds since their unspecialized flexible dietary habit is an optimal strategy for sustained productivity.
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