The food and feeding habit of Penaeus monodon Fabricius collected from Makato River, Aklan, Philippines (Decapoda: Natantia)

Abstract

The food of Penaeus monodon Fabricius collected from Makato River, Aklan, consisted mainly of Crustacea (small crabs and shrimps) and molluscs, making up 85% of ingested food. The remaining 15% consisted of fish, polychaetes, ophiuroids, debris, sand, and silt. Results indicate that P. monodon is more of a predator of slow-moving benthic macroinvertebrates rather than a scavenger or detritus feeder. Feeding activity (determined from stomach fullness) of female prawns is significantly higher than that of males. Preliminary experiments on foregut clearance revealed that clearance rate is rapid with 95% of food transported from the foregut 4 hours after feeding. Feeding behavior of P. monodon appears to be associated with the tidal phase. A significantly higher mean gut fullness index indicative of increased feeding activity, was noted when the tide is on the ebb.