Food Composition, Preference and Feeding Habits of Two Caridean Species in the Interconnecting Lagoons of South-Western Nigeria.

The genus Macrobrachium are decapods that have been identified globally in terms of their economic importance and possibility of recruitment into aquaculture. Macrobrachium macrobrachion (Herklots 1851) and Macrobrachium vollenhovenii (Herklots 1857) are the two largest species of the genus Macrobrachium in Nigerian waters. The study investigated the stomach contents of M. macrobrachion (Herklots 1851) and M. vollenhovenii (Herklots 1857) from three interconnecting lagoons (Badagry, Lagos and Epe) of Southwest Nigeria between June 2013 and May 2015 (24 months). A total of 3294 specimens of M. macrobrachion were examined for food and feeding habits from the three lagoons (1606 from Badagry, 778 from Lagos and 910 from Epe Lagoons) while a total of 1435 M. vollenhovenii were examined for food and feeding habits from the three lagoons (164 from Badagry, 146 from Lagos and 1125 from Epe Lagoons). The stomach contents of M. macrobrachion and M. vollenhovenii from the three lagoons were made up of Bacillariophyta, Chlorophyta, Cyanophyta, Bivalves, Crustaceans, Copepods and detrital materials. The results of the food and feeding habit showed that M. macrobrachion and M. vollenhovenii are omnivorous in nature with the preference for detritus. Thus, there is a change in their feeding habit from omnivorous to planktivores and/or detritivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]