Food and Feeding Habits of Mugil Cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) From the Godavari Estuary, Andhra Pradesh, India
Keywords:
Mugil cephalus, gut content, feeding intensity, gastro-somatic index, Pearson correlation, Godavari estuaryAbstract
The present study investigated the food and feeding habits of Mugil cephalus collected from the Godavari estuary, Andhra Pradesh, India, during 2021 to evaluate gut content composition, feeding intensity and gastro-somatic index (GSI). A total of 320 specimens were examined to assess monthly variation in food composition and feeding activity. Gut content analysis revealed that algae, diatoms, and vegetative material formed the major dietary components throughout the study period. Algal contribution ranged from 16.14% in January to 82.36% in August, while diatoms showed maximum occurrence in April (42.51%). Vegetative material was highest in January (30.28%) and lower values were observed during subsequent months. Animal origin food items, including fish body parts, fish larvae, crustaceans, and polychaetes, occurred in comparatively lower proportions. Feeding intensity analysis indicated that 1/2 full and 1/4 full stomach conditions constituted the major proportion during most months, with the highest 1/2 full stomach occurrence recorded in December (36.86%) and 1/4 full stomachs in September (46.74%). Pearson’s correlation analysis of gut content composition showed the strongest positive relationship between crustaceans and sand/mud (r = 0.761), whereas algae and vegetative material exhibited the highest negative correlation (r = −0.768). Feeding intensity categories showed the highest positive correlation between 1/4 full stomachs and traces (r = 0.765). Male and female GSI values exhibited a weak positive relationship (r = 0.200). Overall, algae, diatoms and vegetative material constituted the major portion of stomach contents throughout the study period.
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