Int. J. Adv. Multidiscip. Res. (2016). 3(12): 6-11 6 International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research ISSN: 2393-8870 www.ijarm.com DOI: 10.22192/ijamr Volume 3, Issue 12 -2016 Research Article Feeding ecology of ticto barb Puntius Ticto (Hamilton, 1822) of the river old Brahmaputra in Bangladesh Md. Mozammel Hoque 1* , Dr. Zoarder Faruque Ahmed 2 and Dr. Kaniz Fatema 3 1 M.S. in Fisheries Management, BAU, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh 2 Department of Fisheries Management, BAU, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh 3 Department of Fisheries Management, BAU, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh Corresponding Author: mniloy034@yahoo.com Abstract Feeding ecology of Puntius ticto, of the river Old Brahmaputra near Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh was studied. The fish, locally known as Tit punti, belongs to the family Cyprinidae. Fishes were sampled from February 2010 to January 2011. Stomach content, seasonal variation of food and feeding habits and size group relationship with their food and feeding habits were analyzed in the research work. To conduct the work numerical method, frequency of occurrence method, index of fullness method and point’s method were done. The stomach was found to contain various groups of phytoplankton, zooplankton and other unidentified stuffs. Phytoplankton (97.33%) dominated the diets. Thirty-seven genera of phytoplankton were found in the gut content of P. ticto. Among them, Bacillariophyceae (10 genera), Chlorophyceae (17 genera), Cyanophyceae (7 genera), Euglenophyceae (2 genera) and Rhodophyceae (1 genera) were idenfied. Eight genera of zooplankton belonging to Crustacea (1 genera) Rotifera (6 genera) and Cladocera (1genera) were recorded from the guts. Among the phytoplankton, Chlorophyceae was observed highest in abundance, and Cyanophyceae, Bacillariophyceae and Euglenophyceae took second, third and fourth position respectively. Among the zooplankton (2.67%), Rotifera was dominant group and Crustacea was the least one. Ticto barb P. ticto fed on phytoplankton much more than zooplankton. The average amount of stomach content was higher in May, June, July, March and April than other months of the year. There was no empty stomach found throughout the study period. Maximum plankton was found in the stomach of the fish of size group-2 (45-54 mm) and minimum was found in the stomach of the fish of size group-4 (65-74 mm). From the research work, it was found that P. ticto was a planktivorous fish species with preference for phytoplankton to zooplankton where Chlorophyceae was the most preferable food for them. Introduction Bangladesh is called the country of river. It is situated in the north eastern part of the south Asian sub-continent, has an area of 1, 47,570 square kilometers (56,977 sq. miles). There are about 46, 52,665 ha of inland and 16, 60,730 ha of marine waters (DoF, 2010). Fish is a major food item and plays a very important role to food and nutrition security in Bangladesh. Fish and fisheries are inseparable part in life and culture of the people of this country. The economy of Bangladesh basically depends upon agriculture, livestock and fisheries. Fisheries play Keywords Food, Feeding, Environment, Consumer and Ecology. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22192/ijamr.2016.03.12.002