Evaluation of the feeding habits of Macrobrachium brasiliense (Heller, 1862) in the Curral de Arame stream (Dourados/Mato Grosso Do Sul, Brazil)

Abstract

-Macrobrachium brasiliense is a cosmopolitan shrimp species found in the channel of large rivers, streams, lakes, igapós and upland igarapés and can present diversity in the use of food resources. This study aimed to evaluate the feeding habits according to sex, molt stage, seasonal and spatial variation, and size class. Organisms were collected every three months from May 2011 to March 2012 at three sampling sites in the Curral de Arame Stream, including the upstream, middle, and downstream sections. Animals were sampled with 50x50cm sieves (1 mm mesh size) on the margin, and with "D" dip nets 40 cm wide (500 µm mesh size) at the bottom. Of each animal we examined the sex, molt stage, carapace length, and stomach content. Data were analyzed through the frequency of occurrence and compared by a chi-square test. Four-hundred-thirty shrimps were collected, of which 26.05% male and 73.95% female; of the total males, 69.64% showed content in the stomach, and females, 72.96%. Among food items stood out: Non-identified Organic Matter (90%), Insects (89.68%), Sand (87.10%), Algae (49.03%), Oligochaeta (29.68%), Fungi (26.77%) and Plant fragment (14.52%). No significant difference was detected in the diet between males and females, but there was a seasonal difference related to the molt stage, and differences along the space and per size classes, and it was concluded that the species has omnivorous habits.

Effects of macroconsumers on benthic communities: Rapid increases in dry-season accrual of calcium in a tropical karst stream

“…and ( Hypostomus sp.) that feed on periphyton [47] and two decapod species, an omnivorous shrimp ( Macrobrachium brasiliense ) and a crab ( Sylviocarcinus australis ) that consume algae and insects [48].…”

Male morphotypes of the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium brasiliense (Decapoda: Caridea: Palaemonidae)

“…Most studies of M. brasiliense addressed its population ecology (García‐Davílla, Alcantara, Vasquez, & Chujandama, ; Mantelatto & Barbosa, ; Oliveira, Sant'anna, & Hattori, ), and there are few published distribution records (García‐Davílla & Magalhães, ; Santos, Castro, & Magalhães, ). Despite the species' wide distribution, there have been few taxonomic reviews (Coelho & Ramos‐Porto, ; Pileggi & Mantelatto, ) and few studies of other aspects of the species' biology such as behavior (Nogueira, Costa, & Almeida, ), feeding behavior (Melo & Nakagaki, ), mass‐length relationships or other measures of physiological condition (Taddei et al, ), reproductive potential (Oliveira, Sant'anna, & Hattori, ), or larval morphology (Pantaleão, Gregatti, Taddei, & Costa, ).…”

“…. Despite the species' wide distribution, there have been few taxonomic reviews (Coelho & Ramos-Porto, 1984;Pileggi & Mantelatto, 2012) and few studies of other aspects of the species' biology such as behavior (Nogueira, Costa, & Almeida, 2018), feeding behavior (Melo & Nakagaki, 2013), mass-length relationships or other measures of physiological condition (Taddei et al, 2017), reproductive potential (Oliveira, Sant'anna, & Hattori, 2017), or larval morphology (Pantaleão, Gregatti, Taddei, & Costa, 2011).…”

Foregut morphology of Macrobrachium carcinus (Crustacea, Decapoda, Palaemonidae)

“…The study of the stomach contents of Macrobrachium species has revealed numerous food items as algae, detritus, plant parts, small aquatic insects, juvenile prawns, small fish, and other animals, showing a clear omnivorous diet with an important carnivorous component (Jimoh et al 2011;Melo and Nakagaki 2013;Lima et al 2014). The occurrence of animal components indicates that Macrobrachium species and penaeids have similar predation behavior; however, the absence of gastric mill in Macrobrachium (lateral and dorsal teeth) suggests a different mechanism of digestion in the genus (Lima et al 2014).…”