This article throws light upon the top four categories of weed species. The categories are: 1. Phytoplankton-Eaters 2. Water Plant-Eaters 3. Predatory Fish Species (Fish-Eaters) 4. Omnivores (Eat Everything Available).
Weed Species: Category # 1.
Phytoplankton-Eaters:
a. Chinese silver carp (Hypophtalmichthys molitrix)
b. Indian ‘cattle’ carp (Catla catla)
c. Indian ‘rohu’ carp (Labeo rohita)
d. Milkfish (Chanos chanos)
Weed Species: Category # 2.
Water Plant-Eaters:
a. Chinese grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)
b. Chinese ‘Wuchang’ bream (Megalobrama amblycephala)
c. Big gourami (Osphronemus goramy)
d. Tilapia (Tilapia rendalli)
e. Zill’s tilapia (Tilapia zillii)
Weed Species: Category # 3.
Predatory Fish Species (Fish-Eaters):
Snakehead species (Channa spp. = Ophiocephalus spp.)
Weed Species: Category # 4.
Omnivores (Eat Everything Available):
a. Barb species (Puntius spp.)
b. Crucian carp (Carassius carassius)
c. Chinese mud carp (Cirrhinus molitorella)
d. Common carp {Cyprinus carpio)
e. Catfish species (Clarias spp., Pangasius spp, Ictalurus spp.)
f. Indian ‘mrigala’ carp {Cyprinus mrigala)
g. Tilapia species (Oreochromis spp., Sarotherodon spp., Tilapia spp.)
Larvivorous fishes:
Fishes which prefer mosquito larvae and feed on them throughout their life are known as larvicidal fishes. The examples are Carassius auratus, Lebistes, Gambusia affinis, Gambusia holbrooki, Tilapia, Notopterus notpterus etc.
Transgenic fish:
A transgenic fish is one which carries one or more foreign genes. The foreign genes are selectively mcorporated by microinjection into the eggs with a view to produce transgenic fish lines carrying such foreign genes.
Predatory fishes:
Fishes which prey on smaller fishes or hatchlings i.e. Clupisomagarua, Silonia silondia, Rita, Wallago attu, Nandus nandus, Channa striatus, Ailia berg etc.
Weed fishes:
These fishes have good fecundity and attain sexual maturity in summer and breed even without rain prior to the monsoon and therefore their young ones are abundant in number during monsoon. The examples are Ambassis, Barilius barila, Chela cochins, Gadusia chapra, Punius ticto, Oxygaster bacaila etc.
Fecundity:
The capacity of an individual fish to produce female reproductive cells is known as fecundity. The fecundity is a quality of the species which ensures high rate of intraspecific competition and more rapid rate of evolution i.e. the species with high fecundity have a greater biotic potentiality.
Cultivable Fishes:
