Habitat preferences of Freshwater Prawn, Macrobrachium spp. in the Petagas River, Sabah, Malaysia

Mohd Samsul Rohizad Maidin; Mastura Mustapha; Nadiayatul Atikah Harun; Ann Anton; Annita Seok Kian Yong; Grace Wei Lie Chin.

Transactions on Science and Technology, 11(3), 182 - 186.

Back to main issue

ABSTRACT
Macrobrachium species is one of the most abundant and valuable cultured freshwater prawns in the world, serving as a high-value food resource. A study conducted in Petagas River, Sabah aimed to determine the habitat preferences of this freshwater prawn, as suitable habitats play an important role for the survival and growth of each species. Six stations were selected representing different habitats: vegetation or shades, dead logs or tree roots and no shelter, consisting only of mud or sand. Prawns were caught using fish traps equipped with two entrance funnels, left overnight, and retrieved the next day. Data were analyzed using SPSS, involving Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. Habitats with the presence of dead logs or tree roots portrayed the highest percentage of adult individuals caught (54.43%), followed by those with vegetation (27.22%), and mud (18.35%). Additionally, sstatistical analyses revealed a significant difference in the number of adult individuals among all stations (Kruskal-Wallis; p < 0.05), except between stations V1 and V2 (Mann-Whitney U-test; p>0.05). This study showed that freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium spp. in Petagas River exhibit a preference for habitats that include dead logs or tree roots serving as shelter over those containing only vegetation and mud or sand.

KEYWORDS: Habitat preferences, Macrobrachium, vegetation, dead logs, mud sand.



Download this PDF file

REFERENCES
  1. Anton, A., Yong, A.S.K., Madin, J., Abdullah, F. C., Lunkapis, J., Samuni, N. & Mohd-Samsul, R. M. 2016. Laporan Teknikal: Projek komuniti penambahbaikan stok udang galah di Sungai Petagas, Putatan. ISBN 978-983-40156-9-5.
  2. Antonelli, J., Steele, C. & Skinner, C. 1999. Cover seeking behaviour and shelter use by juvenile and adult crayfish, Procambarus darkii: Potential importance in species invasion. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 19, 293-300.
  3. Avault, J. W. 1986. Seven years of pond research with the prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) in Louisiana. Aquaculture Management, 12, 51-54.
  4. Balasundaram, C., Palaniyandi, J. & Balamurugan, P. 2004. Shelter preference in Macrobrachium spp. with reference to aquaculture. Acta Ethologica, 7, 95-101.
  5. Bauer, R. T., & Delahoussaye, J. 2008. Life history migrations of the Amphidromous River Shrimp Macrobrachium ohione from a continental large river system. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 28(4), 622-632.
  6. Covich, A. P., Crowl, T. A. & Scatena, F. N. 2003. Effects of extreme low flows on freshwater shrimps in a perennial tropical stream. Freshwater Biology, 48, 1199-1206.
  7. Guerrero, M. U. G., & Molina J. P. A. 2008. Density and shelter influence the adaptation of wild juvenile Cauque Prawns Macrobrachium americanum to culture ondition. North America Journal of Aquaculture, 70, 343-346.
  8. Mariam-Syarmilah, M. 2016. Distribution and Abundance of Post Larvae and Juvenile of Giant Freshwater Prawn: A Case Study of Community-Based Stock Enhancement Programme in Petagas River. BSc Thesis, University Malaysia Sabah.
  9. Mariappan, P. & Balasundaram, C. 2003. Sheltering behaviour of Macrobrachium nobilii (Henderson and Matthai, 1910). Acta Ethologica, 5(2), 89-94.
  10. Mercy, T. V. & Shankaran, T. M. 1992. Observations on the preference of Macrobrachium rosenbergii to different substrata. In: Salas, E. G. (Ed.). Freshwater Prawn. Thrissur: Kerala Agricultural University.
  11. Murthy, S., Kumarswamy, R., Palaksha, K. J., Sujatha, H. R., & Shankar, R. 2012. Effect of different types of shelters on survival and growth of giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Journal of Marine Science and Technology, 20, 153-157.
  12. Ochwada, F., Loneragan, N. R., Gray, C. A., Suthers, I. M. & Taylor, M. D. 2009. Complexity affects habitat preference and predation mortality in postlarval Penaeus plebejus: Implications for stock enhancement. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 380, 161-171.