Research Title:MORPHOMETRIC, MERISTIC CHARACTERS AND MORPHOMETRIC, MERISTIC CHARACTERS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS IN THEIR RELATIONSHIPS IN Channa punctatusChanna punctatus

(BLOCH) OF RIVER (BLOCH) OF RIVER INDUS, DISTRICT INDUS, DISTRICT JAMSHORO, JAMSHORO, SINDH, PAKISTAN.SINDH, PAKISTAN.

Name of Scholar:BUSHRA ANNY DARS

INTRODUCTION• Channa punctatus (Bloch) also known as

Murrel and locally known as “Shakur” are native to fresh water system of tropical Africa and Southern Asia (Nelson, 1984) they can be found in rivers, canals, lakes, swamps, marshes, and rice fields (Mirza, 1988) in almost any habitat where there is water (Wee, 1982) they are plenty available in open water bodies of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, India and Nepal (Rahman, 1989).

INTRODUCTION

• It is fast growing fish and popular due to the absence of intramuscularly bones, less fat and protein content high in comparison to other commercial species like carps (Rath, 2000).

INTRODUCTION

• In Polyculture system this fish is used as police fish to control the number of young tilapia (Curz and Laudenica, 1980) this fish has high market price having great tolerance to adverse water quality.

INTRODUCTION

Presently, no published information is available on the morphometric and meristic characters and their relationship in commercially important fish, Channa punctatus from Pakistan.

So the present study was initiated to supply the baseline data on this commercially important fish, which would enable the future researcher to culture this species in open water.

Objectives of the present Study.

• Morphometric measurements of various body parts of shakur, Channa punctatus.

• Meristic counts of shakur, Channa punctatus.

a) Morphometric study

• For the morphometric study a total number of 200 specimens of Channa punctatus (Bloch) with total length ranging from 67.0 to 245 mm were collected from river Indus District, Jamshoro, Sindh, during March to August 2010. The Experimental fish of various body lengths, collected from River Indus are shown in (Fig. 1)

Fig. 1 Show the measurement length of fish Channa punctatus (Bloch) from River Indus.

Morphometric study

All the Measurements, except eye diameter, were taken on a millimeter scale. The eye diameter measurement was taken with the help of veneer calipers (Fig 2).

Fig. 2. Show the measurement Instrument Digital vernier caliper

Morphometric study The following measurements were made from

each fish (1) Total length (TL). (2) Standard length (SL).

(3) Head length (HL).

(4) Dorsal fin length (DFL).

(5) Eye diameter (ED).

(6) Girth (G).

Morphometric study

(7) Tail fin length (TFL).

(8) Pectoral fin length: (Pec. FL).

(9) Pelvic fin length: (Pel. FL).(10) Ventral fin length (VFL). (11) Gape of mouth: (GM).

Morphometric Study

• Morphometric measurements Morphometric measurements in relation to various body parts in Channa punctatus (Bloch) were studied separately for male and female from river Indus near Jamshoro and presented in tables 1 and 2 respectively.

Length group (mm)

No. of fish

TL mm

SL

mm

% SL HL

mm

% HL ED/HL

mm

% ED/ HL

GM/

HL

mm

%GM

601- 80.0 10 67 57.5 85.18 20 29.62 5.0 25.0 5.0 25

80.1-100.0 30 98 88.7 89.86 29.05 29.88 5.0 16.94 5.0 17.21

100.1-120.0 20 118 98.5 83.12 34.80 29.36 4.86 13.96 13.54 38.90

120.1-140.0 32 132 109.6 82.83 74.29 28.12 5.94 14.72 11.99 16.13

140.1-160.0 10 157 120.8 76.69 44.95 28.53 6.45 14.34 14.35 31.92

160.1-180.0 17 174 146.4 84.04 53.75 30.85 6.69 12.44 15.85 29.48

180.1-200.0 10 196 165.0 84.18 58.0 29.59 6.84 11.79 17.72 30.55

200.1-220.0 05 210 176.66 84.12 61.52 29.29 7.63 12.40 22.06 35.85

220.1-240.0 05 233 193.3 82.85 67.08 28.75 7.66 14.1 19.67 29.32

140. 1-260.0 02 245 200 81.54 67.35 27.46 7.69 11.38 24.9 36.97

Total 141

Table.1. Morphometric measurements of various body parts of male, Channa punctatus (Bloch) from River Indus, Sindh, Pakistan.

Girth

mm

%

Girth

DFL

mm

%

DFL

VFL

mm

%

VFL

Pec

FL

mm

%

Pec

Fl

Pel.

FL

mm

%

Pel FL

TFL

mm

%TFL

30.0 44.44 3.0 44.44 20 29.62 5.0 7.40 2.0 2.02 5.0 5.06

39.0 39.91 3.0 30.39 20 20.26 5.0 5.06 2.0 2.03 5.0 7.40

64.0 54.0 5./5 46.41 39.5 33.33 7.9 6.66 5.0 2..38 10.0 8.35

143.1 54.18 6.33 45.86 82.0 31.04 8.2 6.19 5.0 2.55 16.5 8.43

84.05 53.65 6.7 38.53 56.5 35.87 10.0 6.34 5.0 2..78 19.7 8.78

90.7 52.06 8.7 52.29 58.5 33.58 10.0 5.10 5.0 2.83 20.0 9.12

106.0 54.08 9.1 42.85 56.3 28.72 10.0 5.74 5.0 2.87 20.5 9.76

113.33 53.96 10.0 28.57 70.0 33.33 10.4 5.76 5.0 3.17 20.5 10.4

126.6 54.26 11.0 42.91 70.0 30.0 10.5 5.78 5.0 3.24 20.5 10.20

125.2 51.07 1.0 44.85 80.25 32.72 20.0 8.57 7.0 3.78 24.1 11.30

Total

Cont. Table. 1. Morphometric measurements of various body parts of male, Channa

punctatus (Bloch) from River Indus, Sindh, Pakistan.

Length group (mm)

No. of fish

TL mm

SL

mm

% SL HL

mm

% HL ED/HL

mm

% ED/ HL

GM

/HL

%GM

601- 80.0

80.1-100.0

100.1-120.0

120.1-140.0

140.1-160.0 02 160 13 81.25 44.88 280.5 6.40 12.41 15.56 28.3

160.1-180.0 20 174 14.55 83.62 50.09 287.8 6.45 12.87 15.85 28.4

180.1-200.0 19 195 16.55 84.87 55.51 284.6 6.73 12.12 16.99 31.64

200.1-220.0 10 217 18.21 83.87 60.36 278.2 7.91 12.10 19.88 32.05

220.1-240.0 05 235 19.5 82.97 70.0 297.87 7.87 12.42 21.49 35.60

140. 1-260.0 03 245 20.0 81.63 69.25 282.65 8.65 13.10 22.20 37.85

Total

Table. 2. Morphometric measurements of various body parts of female, Channa punctatus (Bloch) from River Indus, Sindh, Pakistan.

Girth

mm

%

Girth

DFL

mm

%

DFL

VFL

mm

%

VFL

PecFL

mm

%

PecFL

Pel.FL

mm

%

Pel.FL

TFL

mm

%

TFL

80 48.97 7.5 40.81 4.0 25.0 1.0 5.12 0.5 2.04 1.5 8.62

93.5 50 8.45 42.55 5.85 28.57 1.0 5.31 0.5 2.12 1.5 9.37

104 51.95 8.72 44.71 5.88 29.78 1.05 6.03 0.5 2.30 2.0 10.20

112 53.53 10.0 46.06 7.0 30.15 1.25 6.12 0.5 2.56 2.0 10.25

130 55.31 10.0 46.87 7.0 32.24 1.38 6.25 0.5 2.87 2.5 10.60

135 64.26 10.0 48.56 7.0 33.62 1.50 6.35 0.5 3.12 2.5 11.51

Total

Cont. Table. 2 Morphometric measurements of various body parts of female, Channa punctatus (Bloch) from River Indus, Sindh, Pakistan.

Morphometric measurements

• In order to compare the growth rate of various morphometric characters in relations to total length have been calculated from 200 fish specimens ranged between 67.0 to 245 mm in total length. The following mathematical equations were obtained in regression analysis between.

Morphometric measurements Male

• TL and SL: SL = -0.01 + 0.96 TL (r = 0. 96) TL and HL: HL= -0.24 + 0.87 TL (r = 0. 98).• TL and Girth: G = -0.44 + 1. 08 TL (r = 0. 96).

• TL and DFL: DFL = -0.12 + 1.89 TL (r = 0. 92).

• TL and VFL: VFL= - 0.67 + 1.08 TL (r = 0. 99).

• TL and Pec. FL = - 0.77 + 0.80 TL (r = 0. 96)

• TL and Pel FL= - 1. 10 + 0.80 TL (r = 0. 99).

Morphometric measurements

• TL and TFL: TFL= -1.57 + 1.24 TL (r = 0. 92).

• Whereas, the eye diameter and gape of mouth measurements were found to be highly correlated with the head length.

Morphometric measurements

• HL and ED: ED = - 0.03 + 0.50 HL (r = 0. 96).

• HL and GM: GM = - 0.71 + 1.09 HL (r = 0. 99).

• TL and SL: SL = - 1.0 + 1.70 TL (r = 0. 94).• TL and HL: HL - 2.33 + 3.13 TL (r = 0. 94).

• TL and Girth: Gir = - 3.0 + 3.08TL (r = 0. 99)

• TL and DFL: DFL = - 0.23 + 0.91TL (r = 0. 98)

• TL and VFL: VFL= - 027 + 0.92 TL (r = 0. 98)

• TL and Pec.FL: PecFL= - 0.3 +1.03 TL(r = 0. 90)

Morphometric measurements of female

Morphometric measurements of female

• TL and Pel. FL = - 0.2 + 0.69 TL (r = 0. 98)• TL and TFL = - 0.6 + 0.69 TL (r = 0. 99)

• Whereas, eye diameter and gape of mouth measurements were found to be highly correlated with the head length.

• HL and ED - 0. 3 + 0. 66 HL (r = 0. 98)

• HL and GM - 0. 25 + 0. 86 HL (r = 0. 98)

b) Meristic Characters

• In total six meristic character were studied and counts were made of (1) Dorsal fin rays (2) Ventral fin rays (3) Pectoral fin rays (4) Pelvic fin rays (5) Tail fin rays (6) Lateral line scales count.

• Table. 3 show the range and mean values of meristic counts of males and females.

Table 3 : Comparison of Meristic Characters of males (N=141) and females (N=59) channa punctatus (Bloch)

from river Indus Meristic

Characters Male Female

Range Mean Rang Mean

Dorsal fin ray  25-30  30.0  25-30  30.0

Ventral fin ray  15-20  19.0  15-20  19.0

Pectoral fin ray  10-15  15.0  10-15  15.0

Pelvic fin ray  0-5  5.0  0-5  5.0

Tail fin ray  10-15  15.0  10-15  15.0

Lateral line scales counts

 30-38  36.0  30-38  36.0

Meristic Characters

• An application of “t” test showed that there is no significant difference between various morphometric and meristic characters of males and females of Channa punctatus from the river Indus except girth values.

Conclusion • The reliability of the above equations would be

seen to be high from the coefficient of correlation (r =) values in all cases

• From the regression equations it is evident that the standard length, head length, dorsal fin length, pectoral fin length were found to be linear with total length

Conclusion • While gape of mouth verses head length and

pelvic fin length verses total length were observed highly correlated with the total length

• In case of male the head length verses gape of mouth (r = 0.99) and Pel. Fin length verses total length (r = o.99) as compared to the female (r =0.98) and (r = 0.98) respectively.

• The tail fin length verses total length (r = 0.99) and girth verses total length were found to be highly correlated in the case of female as compared to male.

Conclusion • It is concluded that females were found to be

more pot-bailed and broader than that of males.

• While males were found to be smaller in size and slim body.

• From the morphometric study and meristic counts of large number of specimens in the present study. It was inferred that there is a single homogenous stock of Channa punctatus exists in the river Indus.

AUDIENCEPRESENTED BY:

NIMRA & PARASPRESENTED BY:BUSHRA ANNY DARS