Digestive tube contents of Blood cockle (Anadara granosa) in a tropical mangrove estuary in Malaysia

This study was carried out to clarify the feeding biology of the blood cockle (Anadara granosa). We collected blood cockles from 8 stations in the Matang mangrove estuary of Malaysia in July and August 2010. The digestive tube contents of the specimens were stained with Congo red and observed under a light microscope. The results showed blood cockles take in particles containing cellulose as well as phytoplankton such as diatoms. As blood cockles in estuaries are known to exhibit cellulolytic enzyme activity in their digestive gland, the present results indicate blood cockles in estuaries feed on litter supplied from mangrove forests and terrestrial plants.