Food and feeding habits of the African river prawn (Macrobrachium vollenhovenii, Herklots, 1857) in Epe Lagoon, southwest Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the stomach contents of Macrobrachium vollenhovenii from the commercial artisanal catches
in Epe Lagoon in Lagos, southwest Nigeria from July to October 2008 and April to May 2009. The stomach analysis
was carried out using frequency of occurrence and numeric methods. It was observed that the prawn fed on a variety
of plankton species, which included chlorophyta, euglenophyta, xantophyta, chrysophyta, cladocera, copepoda,
protozoa, dinoflagellate, diatoms, insect parts and unidentified food items, with chlorophyta and diatoms forming the
most important food items. Chlorophyta constituted 32.00% by number and 83.62% by occurrence, diatoms
constituted 31.55% by number and 65.09% by occurrence. Amongst the chlorophyta, Cosmarium granatum was the
most preferred, constituting 7.93% by number and 17.67% by occurrence, followed by Ankistrodemus falcatus with
7.57% by number and 16.38% by occurrence, respectively. The least eaten food item was insect parts. The results
indicated that M. vollenhovenii can be considered as an omnivorous detritivore