Abstract Recently, the dark sleeper [Odontobutis potamophila (Günther, 1861)] was selected as a potential aquaculture target. However, the feeding behavior of this species remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the influence of water temperature, habitat type, light intensity and photoperiod on the predatory performance of dark sleepers against juvenile demersal mrigal carp [Cirrhinus mrigala (Hamilton, 1822)] in the laboratory. Our results showed that both the prey consumption and the feeding rate of dark sleepers increased significantly with increases in water temperature (22–34 °C) and stabilized between 26–34 °C. Additionally, both the prey consumption and the feeding rate were higher in vegetated habitats than those in open areas at 22–30 °C, although no significant differences were detected. The prey consumption and the feeding rate of dark sleepers increased significantly with decreased light intensity (0–1350 lx) and shortened light duration (0–14 h), indicating that this fish prefers feeding in dark environments. These results will help elucidate the influence of environmental variables on this species’ predatory performance and create suitable protocols for its culture.

中文翻译：

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水温、栖息地复杂性和光照对暗睡动物 Odontobutis potamophila 捕食性能的影响 (Günther, 1861)

摘要 最近，黑枕木 [Odontobutis potamophila (Günther, 1861)] 被选为潜在的水产养殖目标。然而，该物种的摄食行为仍不清楚。在这项研究中，我们在实验室中研究了水温、栖息地类型、光照强度和光周期对暗卧鲢捕食鲢鱼幼鱼 [Cirrhinus mrigala (Hamilton, 1822)] 的影响。我们的结果表明，随着水温的升高（22-34°C），暗睡者的猎物消耗和进食率显着增加，并稳定在26-34°C之间。此外，尽管没有检测到显着差异，但在 22-30 °C 时，植被栖息地的猎物消耗量和摄食率均高于开放区域。随着光照强度的降低（0-1350 lx）和光照持续时间的缩短（0-14 h），暗睡者的猎物消耗和进食率显着增加，表明这种鱼更喜欢在黑暗环境中进食。这些结果将有助于阐明环境变量对该物种捕食行为的影响，并为其培养制定合适的协议。