Basic HTML Version
International Journal of Marine Science 2013, Vol.3, No.12, 98-104
http://ijms.sophiapublisher.com
99
Table 1 Percentage composition of various food items in juveniles (J), males (M) and females (F) of the mudskipper
B. boddarti
Premonsoon
(July, Aug, Sep)
Monsoon
(Oct, Nov, Dec)
Post monsoon
(Jan, Feb, Mar)
Summer
(Apr, May, Jun)
J
M
F
J
M
F
J
M
F
J
M
F
Family Coscinodiscaceae
Coscinodiscus centralis
8.1
6.7 8.4 7.3 8.4 9.3 10.7 10.8
5.9
7.2
1.2 4.3
Family Rhizosolenaceae
Rhizosolenia
sp.
1.5
2.1 2.3 8.9 8.8 10.7 1.7 1.8
1.9
0
0
5.0
Family Naviculaceae
Gyrosigma attenuatum
4.5
3.2 4.2 2.1 3.1 1.9 1.7 1.8
1.4
4.3
0.9 1.1
G. balticum
3.2
1.7 3.9 1.9 2.7 2.1 0
4.1
4.2
2.7
1.1 1.2
Navicula gracilis
0
1.8 2.1 14.5 13.2 13.7 3.1 4.2
3.7
3.9
0.9 1.1
Pleurosigma directum
39.2 34.0 28.8 11.4 9.4 11.1 15.8 7.6 11.0 33.1 14.7 13.5
P. normanii
5.2
4.7 7.3 0
5.7 4.7 0
0
1.3 13.7
3.8 2.9
Family Nitzschiaceae
Nitzschia granulata
4.3
1.7 2.3 14.7 13.0 12.9 4.7 4.5
3.9 15.7
5.3 4.5
N. punctata
2.9
1.2 1.7 8.9 10.3 9.0 0
3.2
1.7
0
0
0
Diatoms
Family Thalssionemataceae
Thalassionema
sp.
2.1
4.2 3.7 0
0
0
4.2 3.5
4.7
0
0
2.1
Family Linhomoeidae
Terschellingia longicaudata
3.2
5.1 6.2 3.3 2.1 2.0 5.4 4.0
4.1
2.9
9.3 10.0
Paralinhomoeus
brevibucca
0
0
0
1.4 3.5 0
4.2 6.7
6.0
0
5.1 5.1
Nematodes
Family Desmodoridae
Desmodora luticola
0
2.3 3.1 0
0
0
3.1 3.1
4.1
0
2.9 0
Family Nereididae
Nereis
sp.
2.1
6.9 4.2 2.1 2.4 1.0 5.3 5.1
7.2
2.1
7.1 8.0
Polychaetes
Family Maldanidae
Euclemene annandalei
0
3.1 3.1 0
2.3 3.3 5.1 6.3
4.0
0
6.7 6.7
Fish eggs
0
3.7 3.9 0
0
0
8.1 7.1
8.5
0
3.0 4.1
Algae
5.2
4.2 5.2 4.3 3.1 5.7 7.2 9.2
7.0
2.3 10.6 9.3
Detritus
6.1
6.3 3.7 7.3 5.7 5.3 10.5 9.7 11.4
4.2 10.3 9.0
Mud/ sand particles
12.4
7.1 5.9 11.9 6.3 8.3 9.2 7.3
9.3
7.9 17.1 12.1
1 Results
Various food substances of juvenile, male and female
mudskippers (
B. boddarti
) during different seasons are
presented in Table 1. Diatoms formed the major food
item of
B. boddarti
and found around 55% of its diet
throughout the year. In juvenile fishes, the nematodes,
polychaetes, algae and fish eggs were also found
constituting lower percentage. In male and female
fishes, they were present slightly in higher percentages
than juveniles during the study period. Detritus and
mud/sand particles were present in moderate
percentages in all the months.
The diatoms were present in higher percentages (83%)
in summer (April) and lower (41.9%) during post-
monsoon (March) in juvenile fishes while in males
and females, it showed higher percentages of 74.7%
and 81.5% (monsoon) and lower percentages of
27.9% and 35.7% (premonsoon) respectively. The
contribution of nematodes was found to vary from
2.1% (Summer-May) to 12.7% (post monsoon-March)
in juveniles; 3.9% (monsoon-October) to 19.3%
(summer-June) in males and 2% (monsoon-December)
to 15.1% (summer-June) in females. Similarly, the
polychaetes showed maximum percentages of 10.4%
(Jan), 13.8% (March) and 14.17% (June) and
minimum of 2.1% (June), 3.5% (October) and 3.2%
(November) in juveniles, males and females
respectively. Fish eggs (8.1%) were recorded only
during March in juveniles while it constituted the
maximum of 7.2% (January) and 8.5 (March) and
minimum of 2% (August) and 2.5% (April) in males
and females respectively. Algae were present with a