Feeding Ecology of Sri Lankan Blue Swimming Crab (Portunus pelagicus) Caught in Negombo Coastal Waters
Abstract views: 228
/ 
PDF downloads: 106
Authors
-
H. A. C. C PERERA
Department of Zoology and Environmental Management, Faculty of Science
University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, GQ - 11600, Sri Lanka
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8681-9663
-
S. W. WICKRAMAGE
Department of Zoology and Environmental Management, Faculty of Science
University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, GQ - 11600, Sri Lanka
Keywords:
Bottom set gillnet, Feeding ecology, Portunus pelagicus, Swimming crabAbstract
The feeding habits of blue swimming crab was investigated using 250 specimens collected from bottom set gillnets in Negombo coastal waters of Sri Lanka from April to October in 2019. Out of total specimens observed, the weight range of male and female crabs was 22.45 - 334.6 g and 23.0 - 275.35 g respectively. Carapace width of crabs varied from 7.3 - 15.7 cm for males and 3.6 to 15.8 cm for females. Analysis of stomach of crabs showed 51% were empty, 25% were 25% filled, 10% were 50% filled, 5% were 75% filled and 9% were 100% filled. The main food items were mollusc remains (55.37%), arthropod parts (20.66%), fish remains (10.74%), synthetic items (23.97%), sand and debris (36.36%), algae (4.13%) and miscellaneous (35.54%). There was no significant difference of food items in terms of frequency of occurrence, percentage points and index of relative importance between sexes as well as size classes of the crab analyzed (P>0.05). It can therefore be concluded that blue swimming crabs are opportunistic omnivores with a preference for animal prey.
Downloads
References
Afzaal, Z., Kalhoro, M. A., Buzdar, M. A., Tarq, S., Shafi, M., Nadeem, A., Imran, S., Zaeed, F., Sohail, M., Hasaan, R., Haroon, A., Shaha, H., and Ahmed, I. (2018). Carapace length-weight and carapace width-weight relationship of Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) in Pakistani water northern Arabian Sea. Indian Journal of Geo Marine Sciences 47(04): 890-896.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryceson, I. and Massinga, A. (2002). Coastal resources and management systems influenced by conflict and migration: Mecuï¬ Mozambique. Ambio, A Journal of the Human Environment 31.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chande, A.I., Nikundiwe, A. M. and Kyomo, J. (1999). The status of the crab ï¬shery at Mzinga Creek, Dar es Salaam. In: N. S. Jiddawi and R. D. Stanley (eds.), Fisheries and stock assessment in the traditional ï¬sheries sector: the information needs. Proceedings of the National Workshop on the Artisanal Fisheries Sector, Zanzibar, Tanzania 81-87.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Galloway, T. S., Cole, M. and Lewis, C. (2017). Interactions of microplastic debris throughout the marine ecosystem. Nature ecology and evolution. 1(5):116.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hajisamae, S., Fazrul, H. and Pradit, S. (2015). Feeding ecology of Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Brachyura, Portunidae) in the Southern Gulf of Thailand: Influences of habitat, season, size class, shell stage and ovigerous condition. Crustaceana 88(10-11): 1163-1180.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Hamida, O. B. A. B. H., Hamida, N. B. H., Ammar, R., Chaouch, H. and Missaoui H. (2019). Feeding of the swimming blue crab Portunus seginus (Forskål, 1775) (Brachyura: Portunidae) in the Mediterranean. Journal of the marine biological association of the United Kingdom 99(06):1343-1351.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Haputhantri, S. S. K., Nirbadha, K. G. S., Bandaranayake, K. H. K., Rathnasuriya, M. I. G., Athukorala, A. S. H., Yayathilaka, R. A. M. and Weerasekara, S. J. W. W. M. M P. (2016). A morphometric analysis of blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) in the Northern Coastal waters of Sri Lanka. Proceedings of the twenty second scientific sessions of the Sri Lanka Association for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, May 2016: pp52.
--------------------------------------------------------
Ikhwanuddin, M., Shabdin, M. L. and Abol-Munafi, A. B. (2009). Natural diet of blue swimming crabs found in Sarawak Coastal Water. Journal of Sustainability Science and Management 4(1): 85-92.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Josileen, J. 2011. Food and feeding of the blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Decapoda, Brachyura) along the coast of Mandapam, Tamil Nadu, India. Crustaceana 84(10): 1169-1180.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Karlsson, T. M., Vethaak, A.D., Almroth, B.C., Ariese, F., Velzen, M.V., Hassellov, M. and Leslie, H. A. (2017). Screening for microplastics in sediment, water, marine invertebrates and fish: Method development and microplastic accumulation. Marine Pollution Bulletin Elsevier 122(1–2): 403–408.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kunsook, C., Gajaseni, N. and Paphavasit, N. (2014). The Feeding Ecology of the Blue Swimming Crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758), at Kung Krabaen Bay, Chanthaburi Province, Thailand. Tropical Life Sciences Research 25(1): 13–27.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liao, H., Pierce, C. L. and Larscheid, J. G. (2001). Indices of Prey Importance in the Diets of Predacious Fish, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 130: 583–591.
-----------------------------------------------------
Pazooki, J., Hosseini, M. and Zadeh, A. V. (2012). The dietary compositions of the blue swimming crab, Portunus pelagicus (Forskal, 1775) from Persian Gulf, South Iran. World Applied Sciences Journal 20(3): 416-422.
---------------------------------------------------
Petrocci, C. and Lipton, D. (1993). The Warm water Crab Fishery in Asia Implications for the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Industry. Marine Resource Advisory No. 49; VSG-93-14; UM-SG-MAP-94-01. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Sadeghi, M. S., Pazooki, J., Hosseni, M. and Beni, F. T. (2018). Food supply influences reproduction activity on the feeding activity in the blue swimming crab Portunus seginus (Forskal, 1775) from Northwest of Persian Gulf. Indian Journal of Geo Marine Sciences 47(02): 464-468.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Safaie, M. (2016). Feeding habits of blue swimming crab Portunus segnis (Forskal, 1775) in the northern coastal waters of Iran. Marine Biodiversity Records 9(68): 1-9.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Santana, M.F.M, Moreira, F.T. and Turra, A. (2017). Trophic transference of microplastics under a low exposure scenario: Insights on the likelihood of particle cascading along marine food-webs. Marine Pollution Bulletin 121(1-2): 154-159.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Sara, L., Muskita, W.H., Astuti, O. and Safilu. (2016). The reproductive biology of blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus in Southeast Sulawesi waters, Indonesia. Aquaculture, Aquarium, Conservation and Legislation Bioflux 9(5): 1101-1112.
------------------------------------------------------
Sharifan, S. and Kamrani, E. (2017). Feeding habits of thefresh water crab Sodhiana iranica from Southern Iran, ActaLimnologica Brasiliensia 29(0): 1-9.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Sukumaran, K. K. and Neelakantan, B. (1997). Food and feeding of Portunus (Portunus) sanguinolentus (Herbst) and Portunus (Portunus) pelagicus (Linnaeus) (Brachyura: Portunidae) along the Karnataka coast. Indian Journal of Marine Sciences 26(1):35-38.
-------------------------------------------------
Williams, M. J. (1981). Methods for analysis of natural diet in portunid crabs (Crustacea:Decapoda:Portunidae). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 52(1): 103–113.
----------------------------------------------------
Zainal, K.A.Y. (2013). Natural food and feeding of the commercial blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) along the coastal waters of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Journal of the association of Arab universities for basic and applied sciences 13: 1-7.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zairion, Y.W., Boer, M. and Fahrudin, A. (2015). Sexual Maturity, Reproductive Pattern and Spawning Female Population of the Blue Swimming Crab, Portunus pelagicus (Brachyura: Portunidae) in East Lampung Coastal Waters, Indonesia. Indian Journal of Science and Technology 8(7): 596–607.
Downloads
Submitted
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Indian Society of Coastal Agricultural Research (ISCAR)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The copyright of the articles published in the Journal of the Indian Society of Coastal Agricultural Research lies with the Indian Society of Coastal Agricultural Research (ISCAR), who has the right to enter into any agreement with any organization in India or abroad engaged in reprography, photocopying, storage and dissemination of information contained in the journal. However, ISCAR supports open access and there is no restriction in the use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided that it is not being used for commercial purposes and due credit is given to ISCAR.
How to Cite
