Food and Feeding Habits of a Hill Stream Fish CROSSOCHEILUS LATIUS (HAMILTON) from Subansiri River

Abstract

The fish Crossocheiluslatius is an herbivore bottom dweller of the River Subansiri .The River bed of Subansiri is full of substrates like sand, pebbles, big stones, boulders upon which an epilithic algae layer is available. The river Subansiri is full of different species of algae. From the gut analysis it is revealed that, the fish is plankty herbivorous feeding habits. The qualitative and quantitative food items from the gut analysis show a relationship to the different species of algae in the river. Fresh water ecosystem and the diverse communities of algae species in the river is of great regional importance to the livelihoods and economic of the local tribal people. A seasonal and monthly variation of feeding habits has been discussed in the paper. The present research work aims at making available on feeding ecology of the fish.