Abstract:

The food composition of Ompok bimaculatus, Xenentodon cancila, Puntius sarana and Labeo boggut were studied for a period of one year i.e., from May, 2012 to April, 2013. All the four fishes feed on both types of foods plant origin as well as animal origin.  The food and feeding habit of three freshwater fishes has revealed that O. bimaculatus and X. cancila are carnivorous, Puntius sarana is eury-omnivorous and Labeo boggut is a herbivorous fish.  In O. bimaculatus the phytoplanktonic groups are the main contributors of the fish food were 54.37%, macro-invertebrate 21.69%, zooplankton 17.82%, vertebrate 0.92% and miscellaneous items 5.17%. The phytoplankton was found dominant group (58.05%) in X. cancila followed by, zooplankton 23.39%, macro-invertebrate 12.14%, vertebrate 1.22% and miscellaneous items 5.19%. Total food items of Puntius sarana, divided into four  groups  phytoplankton (67.94%) followed by zooplankton (19.31%), macroinvertebrate (7.61%) and miscellaneous items (5.15%). phytoplankton was the first preference of the Labeo boggut and it was observed for 84.95% of the total food items. The percent composition of remaining groups was zooplankton 10.13%, macroinvertebrate 0.94% and miscellaneous items 3.97%.

 Key words: Food and feeding habits, Carnivorous, Herbivorous and Omnivorous and  Tighra reservoir.

Deepa Parihar, Jaya Chaturvedi, D.N. Saksena, R.J. Rao

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