Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Livestock and Fisheries Research Center, Ministry of Science and Technology

10.37652/juaps.2009.15595

Abstract

:A total of 467 fish of Khishni, Liza abu (Heckel,1843) were collected to study their
natural diets and its seasonal variation. Four stations at Tigris River between Wana (Nynawa) at North
and Al- Zaafaraniya South of Baghdad; had been chosen for this research. The research showed, that
fishes mainly consumed plant (51.8%) and fewer animals in origin materials (18.7%), proving that it is
an omnivores fish. Green and blue green algae ranked first (19.6%, 15.6%, 22.1%) in the diet of fish
during the study period, followed by diatoms (15.4%, 17.0%, 18.9%) and insects with their larvae
(11.7%, 10.6%, 9.0%), while detritus ranked forth according to volumetric (V%), occurrence (O%)
methods of analysis and ranking index respectively. Sand occupied about a quarter of the stomach
volume during the study period, but wasn't treated as a diet.
Fish were found consuming green and blue green algae (17.9%, 27.2%, and 33.1%), followed by
diatoms and insects with their larvae during spring, however it mainly depended on algae (15.5%,
16.6%, 18.0%), diatom and zooplanktons during summer. Diatoms ranked first (18.5%, 17.5%, 21.6%)
during autumn, followed by insects and algae, while algae came first during winter (14.3%, 20.2%,
21.3%), followed by detritus and diatoms this time.
Green and blue green algae (19.7%, 21.7%, 26.5%), diatoms and insects larvae were the first three
items in the diet of L. abu from north of Sammura barrage.Whereas, algae (16.7%, 18.1%, and 21.8%),
diatoms and detritus were the main diet of fish from the south of Sammura, The research also showed
that, the two length groups of fish (less and more than 150mm) almost consumed the same food. Algae
ranked first in diets of the two groups (20.9%, 20.2%, 21.3%) and (28.2%, 17.8%, 27.0%) respectively
according to the above three methods of analysis

Keywords

Main Subjects

1-   الشماع، عامر علی (2005). الثروة السمکیة فی أهوار العراق بین الماضی والمستقبل وسبل الهوض بها. مجلة وادی الرافدین لعلوم البحار، 20(1): 133-155.
2-   نعمة، علی کاظم (1982). بعض الجوانب الحیاتیة لنوعین من اسماک المیاه العذبة، الخشنی Liza abu والبیاح (Cuv. & Vol.) Mugil dussummieri من منطقة هور الحمار، شمال البصرة، العراق. رسالة ماجستیر، کلیة العلوم، جامعة البصرة،161 صفحة.
3-   الکبیسی، عبد الرحمن عبد الجبار عیدان (1990). دراسة بیئة الهائمات والمحتوى الغذائی للقناة الهضمیة لبعض الأسماک فی وسط العراق. رسالة ماجستیر، کلیة العلوم، جامعة بغداد 120 صفحة.
4-   الشماع، عامر علی ومحمود أحمد محمد ومدحت عبد الرزاق ضیغم(1993). الغذاء الطبیعی لسمکة الخشنی (Heckel 1843) Liza abuمن نهر دجلة، عند مصب نهر دیالى، بغداد الزعفرانیة. المجلة العراقیة لعلوم البحار 8(2):356-365.
5-      Ahmad,T.A. & Hussian N.A. (1982). Observation on the food of young Liza abu (Heckel) from Salihyia River. Basrah Iraq. Journal of Marine Science. 1:79-88.
6-      Al-Malaika, I.S.; Sarsam,V.H.; Ibrahim A.; (1977). The feeding biology of three phytoplankton feeding fish Fourth Sci. Conf. Iraqi Biol. Soc. Baghdad, 20th -22nd Sept. 1977.
7-      Al-Nasiri, S.K.; Saker, A.L.;Shamsul-Hoda,S.M.S.(1977). Feeding ecology of mugilid fishLiza abu (Heckel) in Basrah, Iraq. Bull Basrah Nat. Hist. Mus., 4:27-40.
8-      Al-Shamma’a, A. A. and Jasim, Z. M, (1993). The natural food of Liza abu during the flood in Al-Hammar marsh, South Iraq. Zoology in the Middle East. 9:59-64.
9-      Barak, N. A-A. (1978). Food habits of three Iraqi fishes, Aphanius dispar (Ruppll), Liza abu (Heckel) and Alburnus mossulensis (Heckel) in Al-Sakliwah irrigation drainage system. M.Sc.Thesis, Univ. of Baghdad. 147 pp.
10- الشماع، عامر علی ومحمود أحمد محمد فوزیة جاسم شلش، أحمد جاسم حمادی ومجید عودة محسن (2000). طول ووزن وغذاء سمکة البز Barbus esocinus فی المیاه العراقیة، مجلة القادسیة 5 (1): 240 – 253.
11- الشماع، عامرعلی ومحمود أحمد محمد تغرید سلمان حسن وجید عودة محسن (2000). الغذاء الطبیعی للأسماک فی المیاه العراقیة 2. البرعان L. Ipidus3. الشلک Aspius varaxمجلة جامعة مؤتة، العلوم الطبیعیة والتطبیقیة، 15(3) : 9-29.
12-  الشماع، عامر علی ومحمود أحمد محمد وفوزیة جاسم شلش ومحمد جعفر کاظم وأحمد جاسم حمادی (2002). التغذیة الطبیعیة لسمکة الشبوط grypus (Heckel) Barbus من الجزء الشمالی لنهر دجلة. وقائع المؤتمر العلمی الثامن لهیئة التعلیم التقنی – البحوث الزراعیة، 3: 216 – 270.
13-  Chan, E.H. & Chan, T.E. (1979). The food and feeding habitats of greenback grey mullet, Liza subvirds (Valencienns) from different habitats and at various stages of growth. J. Fish Biol., 11:293-308.
14-  Ching, C.V. (1977). Studies on the small grey mullet Liza malinoptera (Valenciennes). J. Fish Biol., 11:293-308.
15-  Hyslop, E.J. (1980) Stomach contents analysis review of methods and their application. J. Fish Biol., 17:413-422.
16-  Hobson, E.S. (1974). Feeding relationships of telostean fishes on coral reefs in Kona. Hawaii- Fish Bull., 72:915-1931.
17-  Edmondson, W.T. (1966). Freshwater Biology, 2nd ed. John Wiley & Sons. New York. 1248 pp.
18-   Morisita, M. (1959), Measuring of Inter-specific association and Similarity between communities. Mem. Fac. Sci. Kyushu Univ. Ser. E. (Biol.) 365-80.
19-Horn,H.S. (1966). Measurement of overlap in comparative ecological studies. Amer. Nature, 100:419-424.
20-Zaret, T.M. and A.S. Rand, (1971). Competition in Tropical Season. Fishes: Support for the Competitive Exclusion Principle. Ecology 52:336-342.
21- Islam, A. K. M. S. and Khalaf, A. N. 1983. Diel patterns of feeding of Khishni Liza abu (Heckel) in Rashdiyah Reservoir in Baghdad, Iraq. Indian Journal of Fisheries, 29(1 and 2)(1982):223-228.
22--Epler, P., Bartel, R., Chyb, J. and Szczerbowski, J. A. 2001. Diet of selected fish species from the Iraqi lakes Tharthar, Habbaniya and Razzazah. Archiwum Rybactwa Polskiego, 9(supplement 1):211-223.
23- Hussain, N. A., Saod, H. A. and Al-Shami, E. J. 2009. Specialization, competition and diet overlap of fish assemblages in the recently restored southern Iraqi marshes. Marsh Bulletin, 4(1):21-35.
24- Hussain, N. A., Mohamed, A-R. M., Al Noor, S. A., Coad, B., Mutlak, F. M., Ibrahem, M., Al-Sudani, I. M., Mojer, A. M., Toman, A. J. and Abdad, M. A. 2006. Species composition, ecological indices, length frequencies and food habits of fish assemblages of the restored southern Iraqi marshes. Report by the University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq. 114 pp., 12 tables, 59 figures.
25- Hussain, N. A. and Ali, T. S. 2006. Trophic nature and feeding relationships among Al Hammer marsh fishes, southern Iraq. Marsh Bulletin, 1(1):9-18.