IJRRAS 21 (3) ● December 2014 www.arpapress.com/Volumes/Vol21Issue3/IJRRAS_21_3_02.pdf 103 ANALYSIS OF THE FORAGING BEHAVIOR OF GUPPY (Poecilia reticulata) IN RELATION TO ITS USE AS A BIOLOGICAL METHOD FOR THE ENIRONMENTAL CONTROL OF MOSQUITO LARVAE Olushola M. Awoyemi 1* , Patricia N. Uwafili 2 , Joshua I. Izegaegbe 3 & Omowunmi P. Fadeyi 4 1,2 Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos, Akoka-Lagos, Nigeria 3 Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria 4 Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN 37209, USA ABSTRACT Guppy has been introduced widely for mosquito control and little is known about its foraging behavior and efficacy in relation to the control of mosquito larvae. This study investigated the foraging behavior of guppy in relation to its use as a biological control method of mosquito larvae under varying conditions of prey types, the physicochemical condition of the habitat and also the social context in which they are foraging. Guppies were exposed to mosquito larvae of Culex and Anopheles under varying conditions which included foraging alone, female focal singly and male focal singly, alongside male and/or female conspecifics in laboratory and field water samples. The study showed that female guppy fed significantly more than the male guppy both in the presence and absence of companions, the guppies’ higher preference for Culex to Anopheles larvae was significant at p<0.05 and their foraging behavior was better in the laboratory water as compared to their habitat water. These results suggest that the preference and the foraging behavior of the guppies varied with social and environmental conditions which may be as a result of varying social conditions and the relative differences in the physicochemical quality of the media. It is apparent that the sex of the forager, the social environment, habitat quality and complexity are each capable of affecting foraging behavior and prey use, therefore these factors should be integrated when introducing guppies as biological agent for mosquito control. Keywords: Mosquito larvae, Foraging behaviour, Guppy, Habitat quality, Environmental control 1. INTRODUCTION Guppy is a small, ovoviviparous fish of the family Poeciliidae as described by Magurran [1] and is an ideal species for investigating the characters contributing to invasive success. There is an extensive body of research relating to its evolutionary ecology, as well as to its basic biology, behavior, life history and ecology as described by Courtenay and Meffe [2]; Reznick et al. [3]; and Magurran [1]. Wild studies are carried out with relative ease in the shallow, clear habitats by Magurran and Seghers [4] and likewise in outdoor mesocosms when a semi-naturalistic approach is required as described by van Magurran et al. [5]. Their small size, hardiness and the ease with which they reproduce means that guppies are also extremely easily maintained in the laboratory for more controlled studies as described by Magurran and Seghers [6]. Guppy is a small member of the family Poeciliidae (Female 4-6 cm long and male 2.5 – 3.5 cm long and like all other members of the family is live bearing described by Magurran and Seghers [7]. Guppy has been widely introduced as a biocontrol agent throughout the tropics. Despite this, surprisingly little is known about its foraging behavior and efficacy in relation to the control of mosquito larvae. There are several variables that might affect the interactions between larvivorous fish and their prey, each of which would be discussed. These include the food preferences of the fish in the presence of two prey types, the physicochemical condition of the habitat and also the social context in which they are foraging. Furthermore, given the considerable sexual dimorphism in Poecilia reticulata, and documented differences in feeding niches of males and females as described by Magurran [8], there may be sex differences in other aspects of their foraging behavior. Guppies are omnivorous in nature, and their diet may include algae, insects, small crustaceans, tubificid worms, fish eggs and larvae, and almost anything else that happens to fall into their habitat as described by Arthington [9]. In the laboratory, most live prey items are consumed extremely readily, but it is unclear what might happen in a multi-prey system when there is a choice of more than one attractive prey source. This has particular relevance to their use as biological control agents in India, where there are several species of mosquito present, belonging to three distinct genera which are Anopheles, Aedes and Culex. In Nigeria, only a subspecies within the Anopheles genus appears to be responsible for the vast majority of the malaria incidence.