Effects of food availability on feeding and growth of cultivated juvenile Babylonia formosae habei (Altena & Gittenberger 1981)

Abstract

Juveniles of the scavenging gastropod Babylonia formosae habei (Altena & Gittenberger 1981) were kept at different ration levels in the laboratory for 30 days. Feeding behaviour and growth performance of the juveniles in relation to food availability were studied. Babylonia formosae habei juveniles were exposed to one of the four ration levels with food provided once either every 1, 2, 5 or 10 days. Higher food consumption, longer time spent on feeding and higher percentage of feeding individuals were obtained in individuals maintained at lower ration levels. Similar growth performances were observed in individuals fed once every day or every two days. A sustained production of shell was obtained in the juveniles maintained at low ration levels. At the end of the experiment, lower protein and lipid content as well as lower energy content were measured in the somatic tissue of juveniles maintained at lower ration levels. During the 30-day experiment, food availability is not a crucial factor on survival of juvenile B. formosae habei due to its physiological and behavioural adaptations developed in association with starvation.