Behavior stereotypes of food acceptance and of the rejection of ‘bitter’ food in the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii

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Abstract
The sequence of food-intake and food-rejection behavior of the freshwater prawn Macrobracium rosenbergü was investigated. Video recordings were carried out on 12 adult animals of both sexes at intermolt phase. Plain and quinine-adultered (bitter) food pellets were presented, and the recorded sequences of behavior were analyzed by independent evaluators. Food acceptance and rejection were found to occur according to rigid motor stereotypes. An identical behavioral display typified the initial detection of and search for both plain and bitter food pellets. Subsequent maxilliped-handling behaviors displayed during ingestion of plain pellets and in handling and rejection of the quinine-adulterated pellets were clearly different. Both behaviors were quantified and compared.