BROODSTOCK DEVELOPMENT, CAPTIVE BREEDING, AND SEED REARING OF NARAYAN BARB, PETHIA NARAYANI (HORA, 1937)-AN INDIGENOUS ORNAMENTAL FISH

Abstract

The present study describes about the broodstock management, sexual diamorphism , breeding, and larval rearing of Narayan barb, Pethia narayani under captive conditions. The fish were collected from river Sita, located in Shimoga district, Karnataka, India. The broodstock development was carried out in indoor tanks and brooders were fed with formulated feed and zooplankton to induce maturation in captive condition. The brooder size of P. narayani is very small (1.5 ± 0.1g), fish were bred by simulating the natural environment by providing mild aeration and continuous water flow along with aquatic plants. The mean egg diameter and absolute fecundity were measured and observed to be 1056±116 µm and 514 ± 107, respectively. Larval rearing protocol was standardized for the Narayan barb, and it was found that the larval rearing with Artemia nauplii and copepods up to 34 days post hatch (dph) is the most suitable and feasible larval feed to get the improved survival (54-61%). Duration of different developmental stages were observed and found that 60-72 hours for hatching; larvae to fry stage 5-7 dph; fry to juvenile stage 60-70 dph and adult stage 200-260 dph. The findings of this study will have direct implications in the broodstock management, captive breeding and seed rearing of ornamental fish species and it will help in the conservation and commercial-scale production of this indigenous ornamental fish species.