FOOD AND FEEDING BEHAVIOUR OF MUD CRAB SCYLLA TRANQUEBARICA (FABRICIUS, 1798)
2024
C. Sheeba Anitha Nesakumari | N. Thirunavukkarasu
Diet of mud crab S.tranquebarica consists of crustaceans, mollusks, fish remains, detritus, debris and undigested flesh. Quantitative analysis of the gut contents contributed 53.18% crustaceans, 24.69% molluscan remains, 16.91% fish remains and 3.02% & 1.23% of detritus and debris respectively. The study indicated that this species is primarily predators of sessile and slow moving benthic macro invertebrates. The presence of detritus, debris and undigested flesh items in the stomachs suggested that the crabs are detritivorous consuming fresh and decaying flesh of all kinds. The sex wise and size wise of diet in these crabs may be largely due to relative abundance of prey species in the habitat or related to change in cheliped strength and foraging behaviour.
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