Seasonal Variations in Biochemical Composition of Short Neck Clam Paphia malabarica from Ashtamudi Lake, Kerala, India
Suja Nagampoozhi
2025/04/23
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15269461
ABSTRACT
Gross biochemical composition and condition index of short neck clam Paphia malabarica was investigated from February 2023 to July 2024. Proteins, lipids and total carbohydrate showed similar patterns of variation according to the reproductive cycles, highlighting the importance of the reproductive cycle and physiological features of the species and also the influence of environmental conditions in determining biochemical composition. Protein and lipids were maximum in the mature clams (533.4 μg/mg and 48.2 μg/mg respectively) and decreased during and after spawning. Carbohydrates increased during summer (126.4 μg/mg in February 2024) and decreased during monsoon. Condition index was influenced by environmental conditions, which further determined the spawning seasons. Condition index was maximum in January 2024 and minimum in June 2024 with an index value of 9.3 and 6.6 respectively.
AUTHOR AFFILIATIONS
Department of Zoology, St Aloysius College, Edathua, Alappuzha, Kerala, India
CITATION
Nagampoozhi S (2025) Seasonal Variations in Biochemical Composition of Short Neck Clam Paphia malabarica from Ashtamudi Lake, Kerala, India. Environmental Science Archives 4(1): 240-246.
REFERENCES
Barnes H and Blackstock J (1973) Estimation of lipids in marine animals and tissues: Detailed investigation of the sulphophosphovanillin method for total lipids. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 12: 103-118.
Berthelin C, Kellner K and Mathieu M (2000) Storage metabolism in the Pacific oyster (Crassosstrea gigas) in relation to summer mortalities and reproductive cycle (West coast of France). Comp Biochem Physiol 125: 359-369.
Dubois M, Giller KA, Hamilton JK, Robers RA and Smith S (1956). Calorimetric methods for determination of sugars and related substance. Analyt Chem 28: 360-366.
Durve VS and Bal DV (1961) Studies as the chemical composition of the oyster Crassostrea gryphoides (Schlotheim). J Zool Soc Ind 13: 70-77.
Gabbot PA (1975) Storage cycles in marine bivalve molluscs: an hypothesis concerning the relation between glycogen and gametogenesis. In: Barnes H (Ed) Proceedings of the Ninth European Marine Biology Symposium, Aberdeen Univ Press, Aberdeen, Scotland. p. 191-211.
Galtsoff PS (1964) The American oyster, Crassostrea virginica Gmelin. U.S. Fish wildl ser Fish Bull 64: 1- 480.
Giese AC, Hart MA, Smith AM and Cheung MA (1967) Seasonal changes in body component indices and chemical composition in the Pismo clam, Tivela stultorum. Comp Biochem Physiol 22: 549-563.
Holland DL (1978) Lipid reserves and energy metabolism in the larvae of benthic marine invertebrates. In : Malins DC and Sergeant JR. (Eds), Biochemical and Biophysical Perspectives in Marine Biology, Academic Press, London. p. 85-123.
Jayabal R (1994) Biochemical studies in the estuarine clam Katelysia opima from Vellar estuary. J Mar Biol Assoc Ind 36: 303-305.
Joshi MC and Bal DV (1965) Observations on the chemical composition of the clam Katelysia marmorata Lamarck. J Zool Soc Ind 17: 108 -113.
Lakshmanan PT and Krishnan Nambisan PN (1979) Biochemical composition of the bivalve molluscs, Villorita cyprinoides Var. cochinensis (Hanley) and Meretrix casta (Chemnitz). Indian J Mar Sci 9: 65-67.
Lowry OH, Rosebrough NJ, Farr AL and Randall EJ (1951) Protein measurement with the Folin - phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193: 265-275.
Nagabhushanam R and Deshmukh RS (1974). Seasonal changes in body component indices and chemical composition in the estuarine clam, Meretrix meretrix. Indian J Fish 21: 531-542.
Nagabhushanam R and Mane VH (1975) Reproduction and breeding of the clam, Katelysia opima, in the Kalbadevi estuary at Ratnagiri, West coast of India. Indian J Fish 4: 86-92.
Ojea J, Pazos AJ, Martinez D, Novoa S, Sanchez JL and Abad M (2004) Seasonal variation in weight and biochemical composition of the tissues of Ruditapes decussatus in relation to the gametogenic cycle. Aquaculture 238: 451-468.
Robert R, Trut G and Laborde JL (1993). Growth, reproduction and gross biochemical composition of the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum in the Bay of Arcachon. France Mar Biol 116: 291-299.
Shafee MS (1978) Variations in the biochemical composition of the green mussel Perna viridis L. of Ennore estuary. Madras Bull Nat Inst Oceanogr Ind 2: 101-104.
Sitaram N (2014) Impact of Urbanisation on water quality parameters– a case study of Ashtamudi Lake, Kollam. Int J Res Eng and Tech 3: 140-147.
Strickland JDH and Parsons TR (1972) A practical handbook of seawater analysis. Bull Fish Res Bd Can. p.311
Sujatha CH, Nify B, Ranjitha R, Fanimol CL and Samantha NK (2009) Nutrient dynamics in the two lakes of Kerala, India. Indian J Mar Sci 38:451-456.
Taylor AC and Venn TJ (1979) Seasonal variation in weight and biochemical composition of the tissues of the queen scallop Chlamys opercularis, from the Clyde sea area. J Mar Biol Assoc U. K 59: 605-621.
Walne PR (1976) Experiments on the culture in the sea of the butterfish Venerupis decussata. Aquaculture 8:371-381.
License: Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. Visit for more details http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.