Abstract:
Chilika Lagoon, situated on the east coast of India is one of the hot spot of biodiversity in the country. The lagoon is highly productive ecosystem with rich fishery resources. There are 34 species of crabs available in Chilika lagoon. The food and feeding of two mud crabs, namely Scylla serrata and Scylla tranquebarica have been studied during June 2007-May 2008 from Chilika Lagoon. The highest length was observed being 14.6 cm and 22.5 cm in Scylla serrata and Scylla tranquebarica respectively. Similarly the highest weight of Scylla serrata and Scylla tranquebarica was found to be 460 gm and 1.45Kg respectively. The food of crab includes Crustaceans, Fishes, Molluscas, Detritus, Plants and etc. The highest percentage of food was contributed by Crustaceans (22%-55%) followed by Fishes (18-35%), Molluscas (8-35%) and Detritus (0.5-8.3%) in both the crabs. Some food species could not be identified. The food and feeding habits of crab was dependent on the availability of the food in that area. There is no difference in feeding habits depending on the size of the crabs. The food and feeding habits of two crabs were analyzed from seven stations from Chilika Lagoon where the crabs are available through out the year. The food components for pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon were studied and discussed in detail in these two crabs from Chilika Lagoon.
