Food and feeding habits of the spotted herring, Herklotsichthys punctatus (Ruppell) From the Andaman sea

Abstract

Herklotsichthys punctatus (Ruppell) which contributes a. significant percentage to the clupeid catches in the Andaman Islands is a carnivorous surface plankton feeder, its diet being composed entirely of zooplankton. Copepods, especially Pseudodiaptomus spp., form the main item of its diet. The euphausiid Pseudeuphausia sp. and megalopa occupy the second and third places in its diet. Other copepods like species of Pontella, Temora, Calanus, Tortanus, Euterpina, Corycaeus, Anamalocera, Sapphirina, Epilabidocera and Microsetelia contribate, a minor percentage to the diet. Larvae of Penaeus%-p., mysid, Lucifer and fish, and the pteropod Cavolina and the heteropod Atlanta were also found to form the food. Generally intense feeding activity was noticed during June to September corresponding to the south-west monsoon period. The feeding intensity was also found to be generally higher during the early hours of the day than during the afternoon hours. Fish in the size group 65-90 nun (total length) feed mainly on small organisms like copepods. As the fish grow there is a change in the feeding habit, fishes of larger size (120-140 mm) feeding on larger organisms like euphausiids, megalopa and pteropods. Mature fish occurring in the commercial catches exhibit a high feeding intensity during April and August-September and this coincides with the pre-spawning period of the fish.