Studies on the feeding repellents for fishes and shellfishes - III. Activities of carboxylic acids and acidic amino acids as repellents in the oriental weatherfish Misgurnus anguillicaudatus.

Abstract

The repellence activities of cazboxylic and acidic amino acids in the oriental weatherfish Misgurnus anguillicaudatus were statistically estimated on the basis of an exploratory and feeding behavior of the fish in a repellence-attraction aquarium. Several carboxylic acids and acidic amino acids were found to have a repellence activity. Not all the carboxylic acids tested were effective at the concentrations used, while all the acidic amino acids tested were more or less effective. Of dicarboxylic ones, malic acid was the most effective. L-glutamic and L-cysteic acids were the most effective of the dicarboxylic and sulfur containing-amino acids, respectively. L-cysteic acid was the most effective acid found in the present study. Thus, this study reveals that carboxylic group containing-acids in a single solution behave as a repellent in the oriental weather-fish.