This slide is about a pearl spot fish which includes about its habit, habitat ,morphology, food and feeding, breeding behaviour, hatching, larval rearing, embryonic development, nutritive values, farming practices, seed production and pond preparation...

1. PEARL SPOT (ETROPLUS
SURATENSIS)
HARINIV
2ND MSC ZOOLOGY
QUEEN MARY’S COLLEGE.

2. CLASSIFICATION
• KINGDOM ANIMALIA
PHYLUM CHORDATA
CLASS ACTINOPTERYGII
ORDER PERCIFORMES
FAMILY CICHLIDAE
GENUS ETROPLUS
SPECIES SURATENSIS
COMMON NAME green chromide,pearlspot
TAMIL NAME KARIMEEN

3. CONTENT

4. HABIT AND
HABITAT
DISTRIBUTION
MORPHOLOGY FOOD
&FEEDING

5. BREEDING
BEHAVIOUR
AND
SPAWNING
HATCHING LARVAL
REARING

6. EMBRYONIC
DEVELOPMENT
USE &TRADE NUTRITIVE
VALUE

7. FARMING
PRACTICES
Seed
production
And
POND
PREPARATION
CIBA
&
CONCLUSION

8. HABIT ,HABITAT,DISTRIBUTION
ETROPLUS SURATENSIS - EURYHALINE SPECIES.
ATTENTIVE PARENTAL CARE
It is distributed in the coastal regions of peninsular
India and Srilanka.
India- Kerala andTamilnadu.
Composite cultivation –various carp like catla.
LOCAL NAME-Karimeen in kerala and green
chromide /pearl spot are common name.

9. MORPHOLOGY
Elliptical body with spots .
COLOUR- green and black
Dark black stripes are found from head to tail.
A single dorsal fin is present with 18-19 spines, the spinous spot is much
longer than the soft spot.
Anal fin – 12-13 spines.
Caudal fin is slightly emarginated.
20cm in length and maximum length is twice

10. Eight dark vertical bands, the first over the posterior of the head and last
over the base of the caudal fin.
Most of the scales above lateral line have a pearly white spot, while there
are some irregular spots in abdomen.
Dorsal, caudal , ventral and anal fins are dark lead in colour and the
pectoral fins are yellowish with a jet black base.

11. FOOD AND FEEDING

12. Food composition
Food composition
filamentous algae detritus macrovegetation
diatoms molluscan shell
 Filamentous algae which formed the
primary food of E.suratensis , were
represented by SPIROGYRA &
OSCILLATORIA .
 Diatoms- PLEUROSIGMA,NITZACHIA,
NAVICULA
 DETRITUS & DIGESTED materials were
present as a major food constituent
throughout the year.

13. YOUNG ONES
FOOD – zooplanktons like advanced fry on aquatic insect larvae, filamentous
algae and other vegetable matter.
ADULT
Filamentous algae, aquatic macro vegetation and planktonic organisms.
Worms, shrimps and insect larvae also form part of its food.
Adult pearl spot can be fed with pelleted fish feed.

14. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-
SA
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-
ND

15. BREEDING
BEHAVIOUR

16. BREEDING BEHAVIOUR AND
SPAWNING
BREEDING –pairing , nest making & parental care.
Schools- 15-20 members.
INDICATION OF PREMATING PAIR FORMATION-
MALE-Conspicious intensification & darkening of
colour pattern .
FEMALE- Black spots & blotches appears on the ventral
side between pelvic & anal fin ,during spawning period.

17. Breeding pair starts swimming along the side of the pond in search of a
suitable substratum for nesting.
Substratum – stationary objects such as coconut leaves, coconut husk, stones,
pvc hose pipes, bricks, coconut roots or any such hard solids as substrate.
Excitation of the female by hitting on the vent & nibbling on the abdomen and
the pair swims around the chosen substratum.
During ovulation – female lay eggs by pressing closely on to the nest surface,
one by one in a single layer, supported by their ventral fin.
Female fish then glue their eggs by pressing closely on to the nest surface ,
one by one in a single layer, supported by their ventral fin.
Male fish following the close behind and rapid movements dashes over the
freshly laid eggs ,releases a spray of milt & fertilize them instantly. Duration of
sperm motility 3-4 min.

18. Female repeat the process of egg extrusion on to the nest surface.
Whole process of spawning- 45-60 min.
Eggs are ovoid.
Whole egg mass appears as patches.

19. Pit nurseries- attached eggs collected from the
experimental pond.

22. EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT
Eggs of E. suratensis, is elliptical in shape, with an average length of 2.2mm
and width of 1mm. Eggs of etroplus are pale yellow in color and after
fertilization the color changes slowly and they become brownish just prior
to hatching

24. HATCHING
Hatches out, generally in 70-74 hrs
Hatchlings or wrigglers are picked up by the brooding female in its mouth
and are transferred to the breeding pits on the shallow pond bottom.
PIT GUARDING- fanning of pits with their fins and render oxygenation of the
hatchings that are sheltered in the pits.
A few wrigglers are picked up by the parents, rolled out in the mouth and
returned and sometimes, the entire brood of wrigglers is shifted from pit to
pit helps to cleanse the sticky larvae by removing the adhering particulate
matter.

25. As the yolk is fully utilized, within a week , the wrigglers develop their
locomotor abilities and become free swimming and the larvae gradually
move out of the pits,in schools and swim freely in to the open waters.

27. LARVAL REARING
Early larval stage lasts for 7 days during when
the larvae develop into free swimming
individuals.
During late larval stage the tail remains long
and the caudal fin is continuous
The larvae assume adult form within a month
after hatching and measure about 18 mm.

28. Use and trade
Popular foodfish
High market value in kerala and recently declared as “ state fish” by the
state government.
Introduction to various other man-made habitats like tanks, ponds and dam
reservoirs for culture and export.

29. This is good demand in other states like AP,TN, ORISSA ANDWEST
BENGAL.
Recently farming of this species has gained momentum especially inWEST
BENGAL due to high demand and high market value of its fingerlings (5-10
cm) as ornamental fish in domestic and international trade.

30. Nutritive value
Highly nutritive food
Good amount of meat
Fat, phosphorus,
calcium, ash, iron and
water.
nutritive value
fat
phosphorous
calcium
ash
iron
water

31. FARMING PRACTICES
Cultured on small scale especially in kerala. It is cultured in a traditional
manner in the pokkali fields.
20% total yields.
Farming of this species is practised in AP,TN &WEST BENGAL in small
scale.
When compare to pond culture cage culture gives good production like 12-
50 times.

32. Paddy cum fish culture

33. Pokkali field with fish culture

35. SEED PRODUCTION
Seed-available throughout the year, along the east
and south-west coasts of India
Peak season of abundance may-July and nov-feb.
Collection- brackish and fresh water tanks and ponds.
Twigs or branches are kept submerged in the water , a
week ahead of day of collection.
Juveniles- trapped using an encircling net or trap.

36. Pond preparation
Draining
Removing all the materials that may be
determined to the growth and
productivity of fish farming.
Lime application when acidic.

37. CIBA & CONCLUSION
CIBA- Developed an innovative technology for easy propagation of the fish
pearlspot by breeding under environmental controlled conditions.
At muttukadu field centre, CIBA has successfully developed a captive
broodstock of pearlspot fish .
The CIBA , Chennai has been approached by the kerala govt to extend its
know-how and expertise with regard to this technology for seed preparation
and grow –out of pearlspot fish, as well as in their other programmes to
promote peralspot fish production in state.

41. CONCLUSION
It is one of the most popular fish in kerala.
It is one of the most potential candidate species for aquaculture with immense
commercial possibilities.
Best parental care when compare to other species.

42. THANKYOU