As a part of the investigations of the biology of the hemirhamphids in the

Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay from 1957-59, the contents of 2221 guts

belonging to four species, viz., Hyporhamphus georgii (C.V.), H. quoyi (C.V.),

Hemirhamphus marginatus (Forsk.) and H. far (Forsk.) were examined. No

detailed information on the food and feeding habits of the half beaks is available

and the accounts given by Schlesinger (1909), Uchida (1930), Smith

(1933), Devanesan (1933), Graham (1938), Suyehiro (1942), Gnanamuthu

(1943), Chacko (1949), Tham Ah Kow (1950), Thompson (1957 and 1959),

Vijayaraghavan (1957) and Kuthalingam (1958) relate mainly to observations

confined to limited periods in a year and do not give a picture of the

variations of the seasonal composition of the gut contents. The present study

deals with the seasonal composition of the food items of four species of halfbeaks

and its relation to the environmental biota and their stages of sexual

maturity

Talwar, P K

CMFRI Digital Repository

STUDIES ON THE FOOD AND FEEDING RELATIONSHIPS OF THE HALFBEAK FISHES (HEMIRHAMPHIDAE) FROM THE GULF OF MANNAR AND PALK BAY BY P. K . TALWAR (Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute) INTRODUCTION As a part of the investigations of the biology of the hemirhamphids in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay from 1957-59, the contents of 2221 guts belonging to four species, viz., Hyporhamphus georgii (C.V.), H. quoyi (C.V.), Hemirhamphus marginatus (Forsk.) and H. far (Forsk.) were examined. No detailed information on the food and feeding habits of the half beaks is avail-able and the accounts given by Schlesinger (1909), Uchida (1930), Smith (1933), Devanesan (1933), Graham (1938), Suyehiro (1942), Gnanamuthu (1943), Chacko (1949), Tham Ah Kow (1950), Thompson (1957 and 1959), Vijayaraghavan (1957) and Kuthalingam (1958) relate mainly to observa-tions confined to limited periods in a year and do not give a picture of the variations of the seasonal composition of the gut contents. The present study deals with the seasonal composition of the food items of four species of half-beaks and its relation to the environmental biota and their stages of sexual maturity. MATERIAL AND TECHNIQUE General The alimentary canal is simple and takes a straight course from the oeso-phagus to the anus in the hemirhamphids. The stomach and the pyloric caeca are absent. Such a type of alimentary tract is classified by Jacobshagen (1911) as the most primitive type under category 'A' of his classification. Material and Methodology The guts examined in this study were obtained from fish used for other biological studies, the fish having been obtained from the commercial catches. Immediately upon capture, or as soon as possible, the guts were dissected out and preserved separately in 5% sea-water formalin solution. Data on 2 INDIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES size, sex and stage of sexual maturity were recorded for each fish. A sum-mary of the collections is given in Table I. TABLE I Monthly average intensity of feeding (points) for the year 1957-59 (The number in brackets indicates the number of fish examined) January February . March April May June July August September . October November . December . Hypo. . 4-1 . 4-4 . 5-8 . 5-3 . 4-7 . 4-1 . 3-8 . 4-2 . 3-9 georgii (73) (48) (246) (226) (164) (31) (81) (83) (90) Hypo. 9-2 8-9 8-5 9-3 8-5 7-2 7-6 8-7 8-9 8-3 quoyi (38) (45) (45) (45) (49) (3) (25) (21) (23) (20) (27) Hemi. 3 3 3 •7 •8 •9 3-5 margi-natus (107) (39) (170) (171) Hemi. 9-4 8-8 7-9 7-7 8-1 7-9 8-6 8-4 9-2 8-9 far (30) (45) (46) (50) (35) (5) (20) (25) (39) (36) (20) Food organisms were generally found uniformly distributed throughout the greater part of the alimentary tract and for this reason it was considered necessary to examine the contents of the whole digestive tract. Each gut was split open and all the contents were washed into a petri-dish and examined under a binocular microscope. For a quantitative study of the gut contents the method followed by Hynes (1950) was adopted. Points were given to denote the intensity of feed-ing like 0, 3, 5 and 10 representing guts with no contents and guts with 3/lOth, half and full contents respectively. The percentage composition of the various items of the gut contents were analysed by the numerical method. The contents of the adults in the different stages of sexual maturity were studied separately. For the purposes of the analysis of the gut contents the fish were grouped as:— Studies on the Food and Feeding Relationships :f the Halfbeak Fishes 3 (i) Maturing (Stages II-IV), (ii) Fully Ripe—Spawners (Stages V-VI), (iii) Spent (Stage VII). Length to the caudal fork (L.C.F.) of the fish has been used as the standard linear measurement. SPECIES-WISE ANALYSIS OF THE GUT CONTENTS (Table II) /. Hyporhamphus georgii 1042 specimens of a size-range 155-275 mm. L.C.F. were examined. The analysis of the gut contents with reference to the different stages of sexual maturity indicated that the diet could be classified into three categories:— (0 Food of the maturing fish.—The main diet during the maturing phase was Cymodocea and green algae. The diatoms—Nitzschia, Coscinodiscus and Rhizosolenia were common, Climasphaenia was relatively rare. Poly-chaete remains were also frequently observed. The miscellaneous items encountered mostly were crustacean appendages. (ii) Food of the spawners.—The diet of the spawners was significantly different from the maturing group. The pteropod, Creseis acicula consti-tuted about 80% of the diet. Molluscan larvae, mostly bivalves, were fre-quently observed in the guts and constituted about 5% of the diet. The remaining 15% of the diet was composed of miscellaneous items like the copepods—Acartia, Oithona and Pseudodiaptomus, decapod larvae and diatoms like Gyrosigma, Guinardia flaccida, Rhabdonema, Chaetoceros and Bacteriastrum. (iii) Food of the spent fish.—The diet during this phase, as seen from Table II, showed the existence of two conditions. Condition 'A' with about 80% of Acartia erythraea and condition 'B' with about 80% of foraminifers. In both cases molluscan larvae constituted 5% of the diet. Copepods like Acartia, and Oithona, and decapod larvae were occasionally observed, //. Hemirhamphus marginatus The twenty samples comprising 487 specimens of a size-range of 216-253 mm. L.C.F. analysed constituted spawners and some spent fish. This species migrates into the Gulf of Mannar mainly for spawning, 37-9% of the guts had their contents completely digested forming a muci-laginous mass. The diet of the remaining 62-1% fish comprised of CymO' TABLE II Percentage composition of the gut contents Hyporhamphus georgii Maturing fish Spawners Spent fish Hemirhamphm margin Hyporhamphus quoyi Hemirhamphus far A B atus TS DO O d .. 341 . . 327 . . 374 V, 487 . . 341 . . 351 § O o s 70 •• •• 50 70 70 OS en eS a u u o 10 10 10 10 • ( / ] o Q 5 , , 10 5 5 cA S o 80 •• •• u lU J3 o -s: •S 1-1 Percentage frequency 5 . . . . 5 5 80 , •• •• . , 15 •• • ^ ' 85 , , •• > o CO "o 5 5 5 •• •• •• CO S 3 O 10 10 15 15 15 10 10 o c; >-§ m 2 w Studies on the Food and Feeding Relationships of the Halfbeak Fishes 5 docea, green algae {Chaetomorpha spp. and Enteromorpha compressa), Lucifer spp. and diatoms—Coscinodiscus, Thallasothrix, Rhizosolenia, Pleurosigma and Gyrosigma. Crustacean remains and hydroids (Lytocarpus sp.) were occa-sionally encountered. Polychaete remains found were in a semi-digested form and hence it was not possible to determine their identity. About 70% of guts examined contained sand grains. / / / and IV. Hyporhamphus quoyi and Hemirhamphus far The diet of these two species is observed to be remarkably similar. 42 samples comprising 285 individuals of Hyporhamphus quoyi and 351 indi-viduals of Hemirhamphus far were examined. The specimens ranged from 57-249 mm. L.C.F. and 174-239 mm. L.C.F. respectively. Cymodocea was the dominant food item of these fishes throughout the year. Algae, the most common forms being Cladophora sp. and Chaeto-morpha spp., also constituted a fairly good proportion of the diet throughout the year. Diatoms like Nitzschia spp., Coscinodiscus spp., Gyrosigma spp. and Pleurosigma spp. were most common while Licmophora abbreviata, Rhabdonema mirificum and Guinardia flaccida were rare. Polychaetes {Nereis spp., and Perinereis spp.) were occasionally present in the gut con-tents throughout the year. DISCUSSION Summing up it may be said that Hyporhamphus georgii is omnivorous in that it takes both vegetable and animal matter. It also seems to be highly selective in its feeding with a preference for vegetable matter at the time when the gonads are ripening and for zooplankton in the spawning and spent stages. Such apparent changes in the diet may be due to the absence of specific food items like Cymodocea, or may be due to changes in preference. The former condition, i.e., non-availability of Cymodocea in the environment seemed to be untenable as Cymodocea is available in the environment through-out the year (Dr. R. P. Varma—Personal communication). Moreover, from the investigations on allied species concurrently carried out by the author in the same area, it was seen that Hemirhamphus far and Hyporham-phus quoyi feed chiefly on Cymodocea during this period (March-April). The latter condition appears to have more of physiological bearing in so far as the relationship of the maturity of the gonadial stages are concerned and seem, therefore, to be closer to the actual state of affairs. In this con-nection it may be mentioned that in the herring it was suggested that the change from a non-crustacean to a crustacean diet could be associated with the phases of the reproductive cycle (Hardy, 1924). 6 INDIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES The spawners of Hyporhamphus georgii preferred Creseis acicula. These pteropods were at their peak of abundance in the plankton during this period, March-April (Prasad, 1956). The diet of spent individuals of Hypo-rhamphus georgii was mostly the copepod, Acartia erythraea which is abun-dantly present in this area during April-May (Krishna Kartha, 1959), and foraminifers. The switch-over in the diet from pteropod to copepod was probably due to the different pattern of distribution of the spawners and spent fish. The occurrence of Creseis acicula and foraminifers in the guts of Hypo-rhamphus georgii have also previously been reported by Devanesan {op. cit.) and Gnanamuthu (1943) respectively. Hence it may be concluded that Hyporhamphus georgii does not belong to the group of filter feeders but feeds selectively. Several authors like Petersen (1894), Dannevig (1897), Pearse (1915), Lebour (1919), Russel (1929) and Shelbourne (1953) have all empha-sised the capacities of some fishes for selective feeding. Seasonal changes in the feeding habits have also been reported for the mackerel. Scomber scomberus during its spawning period (Bullen, 1912). Hyporhamphus quoyi and Hemirhamphus far feed exclusively on seagrass and green algae, and occasionally on polychaetes {Nereis spp. and Perinereis spp.). The few zooplanktonic organisms observed were probably accidental inclusions only since a regular pattern of fluctuation in abundance of these organisms in the guts was not noticeable. A similar observation was made by Thomson (1959) on Hemirhamphus ardelio. This shouM be expected if they were not taken voluntarily by the fish but were only accidental inclusions. But Vijayaraghavan (1957) has observed in his studies on Hemirhamphus far from Madras Coast that it is a "typical surface feeder often browsing among seaweeds and algae and supplementing this vegetable diet with an equal amount of Crustacea and other zooplankton". Both these species, namely Hyporhamphus quoyi and Hemirhamphus far, showed no differences in their feeding habits with regard to maturity-index. It is interesting to note that there was no evidence of a cessation of feed-ing during spawning in any of these species as not a single fish with a com-pletely empty gut was encountered during the whole period of study. Suyehiro (1935) working on the Japanese flying fish, Cypselurus agoo, Hata-naka (1956) on the Japanese saury, Cololabis saira, drew similar conclusions. However, a total cessation of feeding was reported in the Australian garfish, Reporhamphus melano chir by Ling (1958). The above studies have shown that different types of feeding relation-ships are maintained by the different species. A shift in emphasis is noticed as regards certain food elenients depending on the maturity conditions in Studies on the Food and Feeding Relationships of the Halfbeak Fishes 7 Hyporhamphus georgii rather than on the availability of food items. Hence hemirhamphids may be considered to be selective in their food habits. SUMMARY In the present study the food, and feeding habits of the halfbeaks. Hypo-rhamphus georgii (C.V.), H. quoyi (C.V.), Hemirhamphus marginatus (Forsk.) and H. far (Forsk.) were studied for a period of about three years. The gut contents were analysed by the Points and Numerical methods. The seasonal variations in the composition of the gut contents are discussed in relation to the environmental biota and maturity stages. These studies have revealed that different types of feeding relationships are maintained by the different species and that they do not belong to the group of filter feeders but feed selectively. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. S. Jones, Director, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, under whose constant guidance this work was carried out and to Dr. N. K. Panikkar, the then Fisheries Development Adviser to the Government of India, for suggesting the problem and for the initial guidance. BuUen, C.E. 1912 Chacko, P. I. Dannevig, H. 1949 1897 Devanesan, D. W. 1937 • and Chidambaram K. 1948 Gnanamuthu, C. P. REFERENCES Some notes on the feeding habits of mackerel and certain clupeids in the English Channel. J. mar. biol. Ass., U.K., 9, 394-403. Food and feeding habits of the fishes of Gulf of Mannar. Proc. Indian Acad. ScL, 29 B (3), 83-97. On the rearing of the larval and post-larval stages of plaice and other flat fishes. 15rt Ann. Rep. Fishery Board, Scotland, 1896, Part III, 175-93. On the spawning habits and the hatching experiments with the eggs of Hemirhamphus georgii {C.\.). Proc. 12th Intern. Congr. Zool., Lisbon, 1935, 2175-81. The Common Food Fishes of the Madras Presidency, Govt. Press, Madras. 1943 The Foraminifera of Krusadai Island. Mus., 1(2)5, 1-21. Bull. Madras Govt. Graham, D. H. 1938 Hardy, A. C. 1924 \ Food of the fishes of Otago Harbour and adjacent sea. Trans, roy. Soc. N.Z., 68, 421-36. The herring in relation to its animate environment. Part I, Fish. Invest., tpndop, Set. II, 7, 3. INDIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES Hatanaka, M. 19S6 Hynes, H. B. N. 1950 •Jacobshagen, E. 1911 Krishna Kartha, K. N. 1959 . Kuthalingam, M. D. K. 1958 . 1959 Lebour, M. V. 1919 Ling, J. K. 1958 Pearse.A. S. 1915 Pillay. T. V. R. 1952 Prasad, R. R. 1956 Russel, F. S. 1929 Schlesinger, G. 1909 Shelboume, J. E. 1953 Smith.J. L.B. 1933 Subrahmanyan, R. 1946 Suyehiro, Y, 1935 -. 1942 Tham Ah Kow. 1950 Biological studies on the population of the saury, Cololabis saira (Brevoort). Part I. Reproduction and growth. Tohoku J. agric. Res., 6(3), 227-69. The food of the freshwater Sticklebacks (Gasterosteui aeuleatus and Pygosteus pungitius) with a review of the methods used in studies of the food of fishes. / . Anim. Ecol, 19(1), 36-58. Untersuchungen iiber das Darmsystem der Fische und Dipnor IL Jena Z. Natunv., p. 538. A study of the copepods of the inshore waters of Palk Bay, and Gulf of Mannar. Indian J. Fish., 6(2), 256-67. Studies on post-larvae and feeding habits of some fishes found in the Madras plankton. / . Madras Univ., 28B(1), 1-11. Observations on the food and feeding habits of post-larvae, juveniles and adults of some Madras fishes. Ibid., 29 B (2), 139-50. Feeding habits of some young fish, / . mar. biol. Ass, U.K., 12(1), 9-21. The sea garfish, Reporhamphus melanochir (C.V.) (Hemi-rhamphidae) in South Australia: Breeding, Age deter-mination, and Growth rate. Aust. J. Mar. Freshw. Res., 9(1), 60-110. On the food of small shore fishes in the waters near Madison Wisconsin. Bull. nat. Sci., 8, 210-21. A critique on the methods of the study of the food of fishes. / . zool. Soc. India, 4, 185-200. Further studies on the Plankton of the inshore waters off Mandapam. Indian J. Fish., 3 (1), 1-5. The seasonal abundance and distribution of pelagic young of teleostean fishes caught in the ring trawl in offshore waters in Plymouth area. / . mar. biol. Ass., U.K., 16, 769-809. Zur Phylogenie und Ethologie der Scombresociden. Verhzool-Bot. Ges. Wien., 302-39. The feeding habits of plaice post-larvae in the Southern Bight. / . mar. biol. Ass. U.K., 32, 149-59. The South African species of the genus Hemirhamphus Cuvier. Trans, roy. Sci. S. Afr., 5(21), 129-50. A systematic account of the marine plankton diatoms of the Madras coast. Froc. Indian Acad. Sci,, 24 B (4), 85-196. On the digestive system and the feeding habits of the Japanese flying fish, Cypselurus agoo. Bull. Jap. Soc. Sci. Fish,, 4(1), 37-44, A study of the digestive system and feeding habits of fish. Jap. J. Zool, 10, 96-97. The food and feeding relationships of the fishes of Singapore Straits. Fish. Publ., Land,, 1 (1), 1-35. Studies on the Food and Feeding Relationships of the Halfbeak Fishes 9 Thomson, J. M. 1957 1959 Uehida,K. 1930 Vyayaraghavan, P. 1957 Food of the Western Australian Estuarine fish. Western. Australian Fisheries Department, Fish. Bull, 7. Some aspects of the ecology of lake Macquaire, N.S.W., with regard to an alleged depletion of fish. IX. The fishes and their food. Aust. J. Mar. Freshw. Res., 10(3), 365-74. The life-history of Hemirhamphus sajori (J. & S.). Nippon Gakujulau-Kyokai Hokoku, 6, 555-60. Studies on Fish-Eggs and Larvae from Madras Coast. University of Madras. *Not consulted in original. 

Studies on the food and feeding

relationships of the halfbeak fishes

(Hemirhamphidae) from the Gulf of

Mannar and Palk Bay

http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/1985/1/Article_03.pdf

Studies on the food and feeding relationships of the halfbeak fishes (Hemirhamphidae) from the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

CMFRI Digital Repository