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Breeding behaviour and parental care of the induced bred spotted murrel
Channa punctatus under captivity

Article  in  Current Science · May 2004

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Muniyandi Nagarajan
Central University of Kerala
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Breeding behaviour and parental care of the induced bred

The spotted murrel Channa punctatus, an paired breeders commenced from 10 to fossils6. In the present investigation, no
obligatory air-breathing fish, is distri- 12 h after the hormone injection. In all nest building was observed in C. punc-
buted all over India (According to an the spawning attempts, the male was more tatus spawners. The giant murrel C. ma-
IUCN report it is at low risk, near-threat- actively involved in the courtship and rulius has been reported to construct a
ened category). It naturally breeds during spawning. It was seen hitting the female cup-like nest in water not more than
south-west and north-east monsoons in snout and vent region more frequently 1.2 m depth7. Table 1 reports the differ-
flooded rivers and ponds1. According to (Figure 2). The spawning activity con- ences between natural breeding and indu-
Parameshwaran and Murugesan2, indu- tinued till the release of gametes. At the ced breeding behaviour. Whereas natural
ced bred murrels never exhibited parental culminating courtship, the male bent its spawners showed frequent jumping above
care. We report our observations on body close to the female, breeders joined the water surface on the day prior to
breeding behaviour and parental care of together (Figure 3) and the male released spawning, no such movement was noticed
the spotted murrel Channa punctatus in- its milt and the female its eggs, after in the case of induced spawners. More-
duced with different ovulating agents. external fertilization occurred. The eggs over, no nest-building habit was observed
The present study was conducted in were laid in a clear area harboured by in the latter. In contrast to previous re-
cement tanks (3 × 1 × 1 m) between July weeds. In the present study, breeding be- ports of Parameswaran and Murugesan2,
and December 1999. Mature healthy haviour of C. punctatus commenced 4 h parental care was noticed prior to induced
males and females (length 12–18 cm and after administration of the hormone and mating.
weight 35–80 g) were selected by exter- continued till spawning. Parameshwaran The scattered eggs in the breeding tank
nal morphological characteristics. A day and Murugesan2 reported that mating be- were pooled in the vicinity of weeds by
before the experiment, the required fishes haviour in C. punctatus was preceded by the moving activity of the male parent.
were selected and transferred to (3 × 1 × the excited movements of the paired The male parent was found with eggs
1 m) cement tanks of 1500 l capacity breeders, which commenced about 9–14 h and hatchlings while the female parent
filled with 30 cm level of de-chlorinated after the second injection of pituitary ex- was seen in the vicinity of the egg mass
water. Each breeding set consisted of two tract. Similar reports are available on the in the breeding tank (Figure 4). The ferti-
males and one female3. Different types of spawning behaviour of Anabas testudineus4, lized eggs usually float and adhere to
natural (pituitary gland and human cho- Clarias batrachus5 and Heteropneustes each other forming an egg mass 5–10 cm
rionic gonadotropin) and synthetic hor- in diameter while the unfertilized eggs
mones (ovaprim and ovatide) were used lost their adherent ability and were scat-
to induce spawning. For each hormone,
three doses were used and for each dose,
three breeding trials were made to assess
the reproductive response of the fish. In-
jections were administered intramuscu-
larly in the dorso-lateral region of the
body. Immediately after administering
the hormones, the breeding sets were re-
leased into the spawning tanks (3 × 1 ×
1 m), provided with Hydrilla verticillata
for hiding purposes. Spawning behaviour
was observed 4 h after hormone injection Figure 1. Active male chasing the female.
until spawning. After spawning, eggs
were allowed to hatch and grow along Figure 3. Courtship behaviour.
with the parents in the breeding tanks.
In the present study, the hormone-
administered fishes showed breeding be-
haviour after 4 h of injection irrespective
of the type of ovulating agents used.
Each female paired with a single male.
At all times the more active and aggres-
sive male paired with the female and the
other male was found passive and idle in
the corner of the breeding tank. Mating
was preceded by elaborate courtship. The
active male chased the female (Figure 1)
and frequently excited movement of the Figure 2. Male hitting the vent region. Figure 4. Egg mass guarded by female parent.

CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 86, NO. 10, 25 MAY 2004 1375

Table 1. Spawning and parental behaviour of C. punctatus during natural and induced breeding 7. Thakur, N. K., Nasar, S. A. K. and Sheel,
M., Physiol. Behav., 1974, 19, 53–55.
Natural breeding Induced breeding 8. Marimuthu, K., Haniffa, M. A., Jesu
Arokia Raj, A. and Muruganandam, M.,
Spawners jump frequently above the water Spawners never jump Indian J. Fish., 2001, 48, 409–411.
surface up to a height of 30–90 cm before 9. Haniffa, M. A., Shaik Mohamed, J. and
spawning4 Merlin, T., Acta Ichthyol. Piscatoria,
Spawners were sluggish but building nests was Spawners were sluggish but no nest building 2000, 30, 53–60.
observed4 was observed8 10. Devaraj, M., Indian J. Fish., 1973, 20,
Aggressive behaviour was exhibited by female Aggressive behaviour was observed in 138–147.
after spawning4 the male9
Chasing by male was normal10 Chasing by male was more aggressive
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. We thank the
Selection of male by female was at random10 Aggressive male forces the female to Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New
copulate by driving away the Delhi, for financial assistance (F. No. 4-12/
passive male8 1999-ASR-I). We also thank Rev. Fr. Dr A.
Both parents guarded the juveniles4 Female guarded the eggs whereas Antonysamy, S. J., Principal, St. Xavier’s
male guarded the juveniles8 College, Palayamkottai for providing neces-
sary facilities.

tered throughout the tank. While guard- ved and incubated without parental care,
ing the egg mass, the male parent remained they would have suffered fungal infec- Received 30 October 2003; revised accepted
quiet, curving around eggs or intermit- tion followed by poor hatching. 27 January 2004
tently swimming in a slow circle fanning
the eggs with its pectoral fins. Intense 1. Alikunhi, K. H., Bull. Indian Counc.
parental care was observed in the breed- Agri. Res., 1957, 20, 144. M. A. HANIFFA*
ers induced by different hormones. Both 2. Parameshwaran, S. and Murugesan, V. K. MARIMUTHU
parents guarded the eggs, but aggressive K., Hydrobiologia, 1976, 50, 81–87. M. NAGARAJAN
behaviour was observed in the male par- 3. Haniffa, M. A., Shaik Mohamed, J. and
A. JESU AROKIARAJ
ent. Previous reports of C. punctatus in- Merlin, T., Fishing Chimes, 1996, 23.
D. KUMAR
dicate both parents have been reported to 4. Johannessen, T., Gjosaeter, J. and
Moksness, E., Aquaculture, 1993, 115,
look after the eggs and fry1 in natural
41–51.
conditions. In the present investigation, Centre for Aquaculture Research and
5. Moitra, A., Pandey, A., Ghose, T. K. and
parental care was observed up to one Extension (CARE),
Munshi, J. S. D., Symposium on Inland
month and eggs guarded by the male Aquaculture held at CIFRI, Barrackpore,
St. Xavier’s College,
parent remained clean, developing em- West Bengal, 1979, pp. 2–3. Palayamkottai 627 002, India
bryos until hatching and after reaching 6. Thakur, N. K., Jpn. J. Ichthyol., 1976, *For correspondence.
post-larval stage. If the eggs were remo- 23, 178–180. e-mail: haniffacare@hotmail.com

1376 CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 86, NO. 10, 25 MAY 2004

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