Study on food and feeding habits of snake headed fishes from Guthia Taal, a wetland of district Bahraich, U.P.

Abstract

Aim of the present piece of work was to analysis the food composition and feeding habits of three snake headed fresh water air breathing fishes. The RLG value of Channa species decrease with the increasing length of the fish that revealed the changing feeding habit from fry stage to adult stage. The gut content of three fishes has been analysed and are broadly classified into six categories i.e. zooplankton, annelids, insects, fishes, plant matter and decay organic matter. Gut content analysis showed significant seasonal patterns and dominated by Insects (30.20-35.58 %) followed by decay organic matter (17.65-21.58%), fishes (15.96-17.00%), zooplankton (10.93-13.05%), plant matter (11.44-13.31%) and annelids (5.58-7.26%), in the order of preference.