Differential growth of the freshwater mussel, Lamellidens marginalis in relation to certain drugs

Abstract

The survival and growth rate of the Indian freshwater mussel, Lamellidens marginalis, (Lamarck) was ascertained in cultivation by using certain drugs in CIFA, fish farm, BBSR (India) during June 1998 to February 1999. Two sets of experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of drugs like Betamethasone, Calcium, Azathioprine, Stanazolol, and Folic acid. Chloramphenicol was added with each treatment as prophylaxis to prevent the bacterial growth. In the first set, the inactiveness and mortality of the mussels in different drugs were studied through two different dosages and in subsequent tests the fixation of dosage was employed. The study in the second set was regarding the survival, increment of shell length, its thickness, and wet weight in response to different drugs therapy. The drugs were administered parenterally in "fixed dosage" at a regular interval of 21-23 days. The survival rate was good with Betamethasone and Azathioprine that is 75%, whereas it was 16.66% in Folic acid treatment. But the mussels originating from the control site had the significant survival rate though the growth rate was average. Calcium treatment had shown a marked increment of shell thickness and luster. The culture was lasted for 160 days. The wet weight gain of mussels in all the treatments were significant, p<0.0001 whereas increment of shell thickness was significant only in treatment B (Calcium) and treatment D (Azathioprine), p<0.0001 but with regard to the increment of length of mussel, treatment E (Stanazolol) was not significant, p>0.05. The regression analysis was adopted to find out the coefficient of determination (R(2)=0.90, being the best) from the relationship between length and weight of mussels and to establish the LWR equation with condition factor k=W/L(b).

Spawning season and size at first sexual maturity of freshwater mussel Lamellidens marginalis (Lamarck, 1819) in the Brahmaputra River, Bangladesh

“…Hence, it is feasible to evaluate the maturation and spawning of L. marginalis at shell lengths falling within the aforementioned ranges. Several spawning events have formerly been confirmed for populations of L. marginalis (Mishra et al, 2008;Verma et al, 2017).…”

“…Lamellidens marginalis (Lamarck, 1819), commonly known as the pearl mussel, is a widely distributed species of freshwater bivalves that can be observed in diverse river systems, ponds, and derelict aquatic habitats across Bangladesh (Mishra et al, 2008;Hussain et al, 2022). This species plays a significant role in providing a basis of protein for animals and generating income for indigenous communities.…”

An Overview of the Persistent Organic Pollutants in the Freshwater System

“…"Mussel Watch" approach is based simply on using the characteristic feeding habits of bivalves as filter feeders which can accumulate tremendous quantity of contaminants in their tissues; reflecting the present quality and quantity of bio-available chemicals in their surrounding waters. The approach has been used to monitor PCBs in water [52], organotin contamination of fresh water lakes [53], and for other organic contamination issues [54,55]. Diatoms are also used in bio monitoring of water contamination [56].…”