Determination of gut contents of Thai abalone Haliotis asinina Linnaeus

Abstract

Samples of the abalone Haliotis asinina were collected from Samed Island, Raayong Province, Thailand, by SCUBA diving every 3 mo for a period of 1 y for determination of gut contents. The average shell length, shell width, and total body weight for these samples were 68.3 ± 9.1 mm, 32.1 ± 3.5 mm, and 48.2 ± 11.4 g, respectively. The percentages by weight of visceral mass, foot, and shell were 23.8, 61.6, and 14.5%, respectively. The average volume of microcontents (<120 μm) in gut contents was 80.3%, and that of macrocontents (>120 μm) was 19.7%. Most microorganisms were benthic diatoms (99.3%), and the dominant genera were Nitzschia, Amphora, Cocconeis, Navicula, and Diploneis. Macrocontents consisted mainly of sand granules and foraminiferans. Therefore, the main food of H. asinina along Samed Island appears to be composed of benthic diatoms, which were the predominant floral elements in the local environment.