Feeding Ecology of the Shovel-nosed Lobster Thenus unimaculatus Burton and Davie, 2007 in the Southwest Coast of India

Chakraborty, Rekha D and Vidhya, P V and Ragesh, N and Sreesanth, L and Sunil, K T S (2026) Feeding Ecology of the Shovel-nosed Lobster Thenus unimaculatus Burton and Davie, 2007 in the Southwest Coast of India. Thalassas: An International Journal of Marine Sciences, 42. pp. 1-14. ISSN 2366-1674

Text Thalassas_2026_Ragesh N.pdf Restricted to Registered users only Download (2MB) | Send Request a Copy email to cmfrilibrary@gmail.com | Request a copy

Abstract

The shovel-nosed lobster Thenus unimaculatus Burton and Davie 2007 is an important component of India’s lobster fisheries and typically inhabits sandy bottoms at depths of 10 to 50 m. The present study investigated the feeding ecology of this species. Stomach content analysis was conducted across different size groups, sexes, and seasons, and feeding activity was assessed by categorizing stomach fullness into five stages ranging from empty to full. The diet consisted mainly of detritus, fish remains, crustaceans, mollusc, sand, and foraminifera, in descending order of frequency. Among the examined individuals, 75.3% had empty stomachs, while only 2.6% contained full stomachs, indicating generally low feeding intensity. The vacuity index (VI) was the highest during the pre-monsoon season in males and during winter in females. Seasonal differences in feeding intensity were also evident among females, with berried females showing reduced feeding intensity during the post-monsoon period, whereas non-berried females maintained relatively stable feeding activity throughout the year. These findings enhance our understanding of the diet composition, feeding intensity, and seasonal feeding patterns of T. unimaculatus in the southeastern Arabian Sea and provide useful information for future ecological and fisheries-related studies on this commercially important species.

Actions (login required)

View Item