GENETICS AND GENETICS AND BREEDING BREEDING

OF THEOF THEHoplosternumHoplosternum littoralelittorale

By: Ashram MahadeoBy: Ashram Mahadeo

Dermal plates in two longitudinal rows Mouth is ventral Two pairs of barbels (sensory organ) Gills are underdeveloped Gut is highly vascularized Reduced eyes Reduced swim bladder

HoplosternumHoplosternum littorale littorale feeding in a tank. feeding in a tank.

Breeds seasonally Spawn at the beginning of the rainy season In the wild the Cascadura spawns from June to September Floating nest is dome shaped, comprises of dead grass,

twigs, green vegetative matter and sometimes even paper in littered areas. Size of nest is 15-50 cm in diameter

(Singh, 1978)

Nest is supported with bubbles or froth produced by male. Nest size can contain 2,000 to 22,000 adhesive eggs which

may be laid by one or more females.

Egg mass is attached to the underside of the nest and the froth adds protection from shock and extreme temperatures. Also provides O2.

Females chased away by males after spawning The male during the spawning season grows forwardly

curved pectoral spines Eggs are golden in color when laid and darken in hue as

they develop. Hatching occurs after 3-4 days. Sac fry cling to the nest for 2-3 days afterwards; fall to the

bottom of the water column and begin foraging.

The male breaks up the nest and distributes the larvae by doing so

The fry feed on periphyton Sexual maturity within a year but this is

size dependent

In the wild the Cascadura can live to 4 years Males grow to 19 cm and females are smaller

measuring 16 cm. (Singh, 1978)

They feed on detritus and Copepods as well Cascadura are demersal and use barbels which

are sensitive to forage for food The animals also show some schooling behaviour

Winemiller, Kirk O. 1986. “Feeding and Reproductive Biology of the Currito, Hoplosternum littorale, in the Venezuelan llanos with comments on the possible function of the Enlarged Male Pectoral Spines.” Environmental Biology of Fishes Vol. 20, No.3, pp. 19- 227. Date Accessed: 15/02/12. http://wfsc.tamu.edu/winemiller/lab/W-curito-EBF87.pdf

Masterson, J. Smithsonian Research Station at Fort Piece. 2007. irlwebmaster@si.edu.http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/hoplosternum_littorale.htm. Date Accessed: February 17, 2012.

Tropical Fish, 2011. Dizhal.info. http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/hoplosternum_littorale.htm Date Accessed: March 4, 2012. Tropical Fish, 2011. Dizhal.info. http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/hoplosternum_littorale.htm Date Accessed: March 4, 2012. Ramnarine, Prof. Indar. N.D. “Cascadu Farming : A Manual for the Culture of Hoplosternum littorale.” in General

Paper 7, p1-8.Department of Zoology, University of the West Indies, St, Augustine, Trinidad. Dizhal.info. 2007-2012. Hoplosternum littorale - Clay hoplo, Brown Hoplo. Last Updated on 16/07/2011.

http://diszhal.info/english/index.php, http://diszhal.info/english/catfishes/en_Hoplosternum_littorale.php Luquet, P., T. Boujard, P. Planquette, Y. Moreau and G. Hostache. 1989. “The Culture Of Hoplosternum littorale: State of the

Art and Perspectives” In Advances in Tropical Aquaculture.http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/1989/acte-1491.pdf. Date Accessed : February 19, 2012.

PlanetCatfish.com. 1996-2012. Callichthyidae, Hoplosternum littorale. Aquatic Republic Network. Last updated: 15/08/11. Date Accessed : 19/02/12. http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=394

Garcia, Gary W. 2004. “Intensive Wildlife Production Module IV Unit 19 : Aquatic Species Production” in Intensive Tropical Wildlife [ Non-Domestic ] Production Systems : 9.