Department of Zoology, University of Poonch, Rawalakot, AJ&K Pakistan.
Department of Zoology, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Muzaffarabad, AJ&K Pakistan.
Braz J Biol. 2021 Jul 14;82:e243063. doi: 10.1590/1519-6984.243063. eCollection 2021.
The Indian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix indica) is classified as an agricultural pest species. It feeds on plants and crops; hence, it is responsible for massive financial losses worldwide. The current study was conducted to assess the diet composition of Indian Crested Porcupine in District Bagh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K). Thus, fecal samples were collected and examined from different sampling sites. Reference slides of the material collected from the study area were prepared for identification of dietary components in fecal pellets. A total of 80 fecal samples were collected and processed. Percent relative frequencies (P.R.F.) were calculated for each plant species recovered from pellets. Data revealed that Indian Crested Porcupine consumed 31 plant species in its diet, among them Zea mays (34.31±7.76) was the most frequently selected species followed by Rumex obtusifolius (15.32±2.57) and Melia azedarach (12.83±4.79). The study revealed that the greatest diversity of (n=20) plant species were consumed in summer season while minimum (n=13) species were used during winter. Among the parts of plants, stem was highly consumed in spring (57.2%) as compared to seed in fall (36.7%) while spikes and leaf were the least recovered parts from the fecal matter. The Berger-Parker diversity index showed highly diversified food (10.92) in the summer time of the year as compared to the autumn season (2.95). This study provides a baseline for the diet preference of this pest in the study area. Based on current findings, a detailed investigation on damage assessment, exploration, habitat use and management of Indian Crested Porcupine in AJ&K has been recommended.
印度豪猪（Hystrix indica）被归类为农业害虫。它以植物和庄稼为食；因此，它在全球范围内造成了巨大的经济损失。本研究旨在评估在查谟和克什米尔邦巴格地区（AJK）的印度豪猪的饮食组成。因此，从不同的采样点收集并检查了粪便样本。为了识别粪便样本中饮食成分，准备了从研究区域收集的材料的参考幻灯片。共收集和处理了 80 个粪便样本。从粪便中回收的每个植物物种的相对频率（P.R.F.）计算百分比。数据显示，印度豪猪在其饮食中消耗了 31 种植物，其中玉米（34.31±7.76）是最常被选择的物种，其次是皱叶酸模（15.32±2.57）和苦楝（12.83±4.79）。研究表明，夏季消耗的植物物种最多（n=20），而冬季消耗的物种最少（n=13）。在植物的各个部分中，与秋季（36.7%）相比，春季（57.2%）消耗的茎部较多，而秋季（36.7%）消耗的种子较多，而从粪便中回收的穗部和叶部是最少的部分。伯杰-帕克多样性指数显示，与秋季（2.95）相比，夏季（10.92）的食物种类高度多样化。本研究为该研究区域这种害虫的饮食偏好提供了基线。根据目前的发现，建议对印度豪猪在 AJK 的损害评估、探索、栖息地利用和管理进行详细调查。
