Diet of exotic pirapitinga Piaractus brachypomus (Cuvier 1818) from Vembanad-Kole Wetland India as inferred from gut content analysis and DNA barcoding

Raj Smrithy, . and Anupama Vinod Sreedevi, . and Devi Suvarna S., . and Kumar Appukuttannair Biju, . Diet of exotic pirapitinga Piaractus brachypomus (Cuvier 1818) from Vembanad-Kole Wetland India as inferred from gut content analysis and DNA barcoding. pp. 47-55. ISSN 0116-6514

Gut contents of the exotic characid fish Piaractus brachypomus (Cuvier 1818) that escaped into the Vembanad-Kole Wetland India during the floods were examined for their gut food spectrum. The qualitative analysis of gut contents showed that the fish is an omnivore with detritus (27 ) as the most dominant food item followed by plant matter (25 ) crabs (16 ) molluscs (12 ) fish (11 ) and insects (7 ) respectively. DNA barcoding of the gut contents revealed taxa such as Puntius mahecola (Valenciennes 1844) (Cyprinid fish) Bellamaya sp. (Mollusca Gastropoda Viviparidae) Spiralothelphusa sp. (Crustacea Brachyura Gecarcinucidae) and Ictinogomphus sp. (Insecta Odonata Gomphidae) among diet contents. Ontogenic diet shift was not recorded and none of the fishes showed empty guts indicating the higher feeding rate and abundance of food in the habitat. The most predominant food item of P. brachypomus in the Vembanad-Kol wetland system is crabs in terms of percentage occurrence percentage number percentage volume index of preponderance and index of relative importance. Piaractus brachypomus showed greater variations in diet spectrum from their frugivorous nature in the home range (Amazon basin) to a more generalist heterogeneous feeding nature in the introduced ecosystem. The study found that in a highly biodiverse ecosystem the introduced alien fish may compete with native fish and feed on native organisms. The paper suggests a precautionary approach in flood plain aquaculture especially with the increase in extreme climatic events and holistic studies on invasion biology to manage invasive species.

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Abstract

Gut contents of the exotic characid fish Piaractus brachypomus (Cuvier 1818) that escaped into the Vembanad-Kole Wetland India during the floods were examined for their gut food spectrum. The qualitative analysis of gut contents showed that the fish is an omnivore with detritus (27 ) as the most dominant food item followed by plant matter (25 ) crabs (16 ) molluscs (12 ) fish (11 ) and insects (7 ) respectively. DNA barcoding of the gut contents revealed taxa such as Puntius mahecola (Valenciennes 1844) (Cyprinid fish) Bellamaya sp. (Mollusca Gastropoda Viviparidae) Spiralothelphusa sp. (Crustacea Brachyura Gecarcinucidae) and Ictinogomphus sp. (Insecta Odonata Gomphidae) among diet contents. Ontogenic diet shift was not recorded and none of the fishes showed empty guts indicating the higher feeding rate and abundance of food in the habitat. The most predominant food item of P. brachypomus in the Vembanad-Kol wetland system is crabs in terms of percentage occurrence percentage number percentage volume index of preponderance and index of relative importance. Piaractus brachypomus showed greater variations in diet spectrum from their frugivorous nature in the home range (Amazon basin) to a more generalist heterogeneous feeding nature in the introduced ecosystem. The study found that in a highly biodiverse ecosystem the introduced alien fish may compete with native fish and feed on native organisms. The paper suggests a precautionary approach in flood plain aquaculture especially with the increase in extreme climatic events and holistic studies on invasion biology to manage invasive species.

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Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	Piaractus brachypomus
AGROVOC Term:	Dietetic foods
AGROVOC Term:	Qualitative analysis
AGROVOC Term:	Feeding behaviour
AGROVOC Term:	Ecosystem diversity
AGROVOC Term:	Aquaculture
AGROVOC Term:	invasive species
AGROVOC Term:	Fishery management
Depositing User:	Mr. AFANDI ABDUL MALEK
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 00:55
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/9761

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