Table 1. Natural food of different life stages of the Indian white prawn, Fenneropenaeus indicus
Type of food Life stage/ Size class
  Nauplius Zoea Mysis Postlarvae Juvenile Adult
Yolk endogenous4          
Algae   phytoplankton3,5 phytoplankton3 phytoplankton3,6   Yes7
Detritus         Yes8 Yes High7
Zooplankton   zooplankton5 zooplankton3,4 zooplankton3,4    
Crustaceans         Yes9,10 Yes7,12
Fish            
Plant         25�521,911  
Bivalves         56�891 Yes7
Gastropods         44�831  
Amphipods         16�711  
Polychaetes         4�291 Yes7
Foraminiferans         20�441  
Diatoms   Yes2 Yes2   4�231  
1. Angsupanich, Chiayvareesajja and Chandumpai (1999)
2. Preston, et al. (1992) (F. merguiensis)
3. Kumlu (1997)
4. Rothlisberg (1998)
5. Emmerson (1984)
6. Khan, Aravindan and Kalavati (2001) (microalgal cells)
7. Zarshenas, Emadi and Seraji (2002)
8. Panikkar (1952)
9. Gopalakrishnan (1952)
10. Hall (1962)
11. The vegetable matter included diatoms like Coscinodiscus, Pleurosigma, Rhizosolenia, the planktonic alga Trichodesmium and cuttings of seaweeds
12. The crustaceans included copepods, ostracods, amphipods, tiny decapods (penaeids) and their larval stages and brachyurans