STUDIES ON FECUNDITY OF FRESH WATER PRAWN MACROBRACHIUM SCABRICULUM (HELLER, 1862) FROM THE RIVER CAUVERY, THANJAVUR, TAMIL NADU, INDIA

R. Athiyaman* and K. Rajendran

ABSTRACT

The river Cauvery is one of the major perennial river in the peninsular India which originates Talakaveri, Coorg District, Karnataka and flows through Tamil Nadu State and enters in to Bay of Bengal. The fishery resources including prawns are high in river Cauvery. In the present investigation the fecundity of Macrobrachium scabriculum, was estimated for the period of two years from July 2010 to June 2012. A total of 92 berried females were examined. The total number of eggs in female was significantly varied among the size groups of the prawns. In the minimum size group of prawns (30-35 mm) having the mean wet egg mass weight was 0.340 g with a mean total number of eggs 1.575. In the maximum size class (50-60 mm) having the mean wet egg mass weight was 0.859 g with a mean total number of eggs per female was 2815. The mean total wet weight of the eggs per female as well as the mean number of eggs female were increased with increasing length and weight. Fecundity (F) was related to total length (TL) and Total weight (TW) respectively Y = 4.98  29.01, X = 0.978 and Y = 0.213  1.657, X=0.193. There is a direct relationship noticed between total length of prawn and total number of eggs.

Keywords: Fecundity, Macrobrachium scabriculum, River Cauvery.