Behavioral traits of the giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii under laboratory circumstances

Abstract

The ethological study of freshwater prawns in India is very alarming, and the behavioral study has significantly contributed towards improvement in animal breeding. Macrobrachium is a highly significant commercial species in prawn farming; Macrobrachium rosenbergii is economically one of the most important species. To highlight the in-depth analysis of prawn culture, an ethogram was prepared in this study to characterize and describe the behavior of M.rosenbergii under laboratory conditions. The Focal Animal Method was used to observe and  perceive M.rosenbergii for 30 days, with one-hour continuous reports from 09:00 to 10:00, 10:30 to 11:30, 12:00 to 13:00, 13:30 to 14:30, 15:00 to 16:00, and 16:30 to 17:30. The experiment commenced with fifty prawns fed with commercial feed three times a day. During our scrutiny we have monitored a handful of behavioral patterns. The observed behaviors were categorized into maintenance, locomotion, feeding, and social behaviors. Molting frequency does not appear to be directly related to growth rate; rather, it is associated with food consumption, irrespective of the molting frequency. From our investigation, the prawns were classified into stages A, B, C0, C1, D0, D1, D2, and D3. This classification was based on visible changes in the exoskeleton, which enabled the determination of molt states. The outcome implies that the multifaceted behavioral activities of M.rosenbergii  align with existing specialized literature and may be employed in further biological research focused on freshwater prawn cultivation. Additionally, it provides a significant step towards enhancing the management, development, and improvement of animal welfare.