Food and feeding habits of deepsea pandalid prawns Heterocarpus gibbosus, Bate 1888 and Heterocarpus woodmasoni, Alcock off Kerala, south India

Abstract

Food and feeding habits of two deepsea prawns Heterocarpus gibbosus and Heterocarpus woodmasoni were studied from the commercial deepsea prawn landings off Kerala coast (south India). The diet of both the species were examined giving emphasis to variations with regard to months, size groups, sex and maturity stages. Stomach conditions in various maturity stages, length groups and gastrosomatic index were also studied. The diet of both the species were found similar showing presence of euphausids, foraminiferans, sponges and detritus. In both the species, highest numbers of full stomachs were observed in orange-berried females, and spent males, which may be due to their voracious feeding after spawning while highest number of empty stomachs was observed in head roes of females and maturing males. Variations in the gastrosomatic index indicated strong correlation between feeding intensity and breeding periods of both the species.