Length-weight relationship, condition factor and morphometry of gold spot mullet Liza parsia (Hamilton, 1822) from Cochin estuary

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1 Indian Journal of Geo-Marine Sciences Vol. 40 (4), August 2011, pp Length-weight relationship, condition factor and morphometry of gold spot mullet Liza parsia (Hamilton, 1822) from Cochin estuary Renjini P.K. & Bijoy Nandan S. Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry Cochin University of Science and Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Cochin , Kerala, India E.mail: Received 22 December 2009; revised 6 December 2010 Length-weight relationship was studied in Liza parsia collected from the Champakkara region of Cochin estuary during the year Slope value (b) estimated for Liza parsia male was found to be , for female and for combined was The regression equation calculated for male was Log W = Log L, for female was Log W = Log L and for combined was Log W = Log L. Length weight relationship and condition factor showed that the growth of L. parsia is quite satisfactory. Morphometric measurements of various body parts and meristic counts were recorded. There is no change in meristic counts in increase in body length. Thus from the study it could be inferred that, Liza parsia showed a satisfactory growth in the Cochin estuary. [Keywords: Liza parsia, length-weight relationship, condition factor, morphometry regression analysis] Introduction Length weight relationship studies of any fish species is a pre requisite for the study of its population by LeCren 1. Ponderal index or condition factor or the fatness (K) was worked out to assess the well-being of the population with the assumption that the growth of fish in ideal conditions maintain an equilibrium in length and weight by Hile 2. Data on length-weight relationship and the associated condition factor also enables to compare the population of the same species from different environments. Study of morphometric characters in fishes is important because they can be used for the differentiation of taxonomic units. Present study provides comprehensive information on the length weight relationship, relative condition factor and morphometry of Liza parsia (Hamilton, 1822) from Champakkara backwaters, Kerala. Mullets form one of the important fisheries in the coastal waters of India by Payne 3. The gold spot mullet Liza parsia (Hamilton, 1822) is one of the common mullet in Cochin estuary and constitutes a thriving fishery in the estuaries and brackish water lakes of Kerala by Kurup and Samuel 4. The major contributions on Liza parsia (Hamilton, 1822) are that of Sarojini 5,6, Luther 7, Kurup and Samuel 8, Babu and Neelakantan 9, Baburaj 10 and Wijayaratne and Costa 11. Studies on fish belonging to the family Mugilidae (grey mullets) were considered important. Many species of mullets raised in ponds were found quite often associated with other species. Liza parsia is an important species for aquaculture. A survey on the literature of Liza parsia showed very little information particularly in the Indian context, a precise knowledge on its biology is important. Hence the length-weight relationship, condition factor and morphometry of Liza parsia from a coastal estuarine system in Kerala is presented in this study. Materials and Methods Fresh fish samples were collected weekly during April 2009 to August 2009 from the fishermen of Champakkara region (Latitude 9º N and Longitude 76º19 45 E) of the Cochin estuarine system. A total of 255 specimens of L. parsia ranging in size from 12 to 30 were used for the length-weight analysis, various morphometric measurements and meristic counts were collected. The relationship between various parameters was determined by the multiple regression analysis using the SPSS After draining of the excess water using a filter paper, the length of fish was measured to the nearest mm using a mm scale and weight up to 0.1 g using a weighing balance. Fishes were divided into different sexes by observing the gonads after dissecting the abdomen. Length-weight relation of

2 568 INDIAN J. MAR. SCI., VOL. 40, NO. 4, AUGUST 2011 Length group No. of fishes combined Table 1 Data on length and weight of Liza parsia from Cochin Estuary No. of male the fishes was calculated from the logarithmic formula: Log W = Log a + b Log L. Thirty six morphometric and five meristic characters were studied following the standard procedures described by Apparao 12, and Dwivedi and Menezes 13. While doing the analysis, the total length was chosen as the base parameter with which the other parameters were related. Results Length-weight relationship Length weight equations were calculated separately for males, females and sexes combined. The fish samples were divided into 2 length groups (Table 1). When empirical values of lengths were plotted against their respective weight on an arithmetic scale, smooth curves were obtained (Figs. 1, 2 & 3). The length-weight relationship for Liza parsia was calculated as (Table 2) No. of female Table 2 K values of Liza parsia for different length groups Length group K value Male Female Combined Fig 1 Length weight relationship of Liza parsia (Combined) Fig: 2 Length weight relationship of Liza parsia (Male) Combined W = L Log W = log l r 2 = Male W = L Log W = log l r 2 = Female W = L Log W = log l r 2 = Fig: 3 Length weight relationship of Liza parsia (Female)

3 RENJINI & BIJOY: LENGTH-WEIGHT RELATIONSHIP, CONDITION FACTOR AND MORPHOMETRY OF GOLD 569 As may be seen from the equations, the exponential values for males, females and combined were practically identical. The coefficient of correlation, r 2 for combined, males and females for the regression of total length and body weight were estimated as , and respectively which is significant at 5% level. Condition factor In the present study, the condition factor of Liza parsia male varied between and , and in female and and in combined sexes. Morphometric and meristic characters Morphometric measurements of various parts of the body and their percentage ratio in relation to TL for males and females of 255 fishes are given in Table 3. As may be seen from the tables, fork length, standard length, pre-anal length, pre-pelvic length, pre-pectoral length, pre-dorsal length, dorsal fin height, body depth, body width, pelvic fin base, pelvic fin length, anal length, girth length, anal fin length, depth at pectoral, depth at dorsal, depth at anus, least height of caudal peduncle, head length, eye diameter, pre-orbital length, post-orbital length, inter-orbital width, upper jaw length, lower jaw length, depth of mouth, depth at eye and gape width were highly correlated with TL. For the meristic characters, dorsal fin rays, dorsal spines, pectoral fin rays, anal fin spines, anal fin rays, ventral spines and ventral rays were counted (Table 4). Table 3 Results of statistical analysis of morphometric characters No Characters Male Female R R 2 R R 2 1 Fork length Standard length Pre-anal length Pre-pelvic length Pre-pectoral length Pre-dorsal length Dorsal fin base Dorsal fin height Body depth Body width Caudal fin height Anal fin base Pelvic fin base Pelvic fin length Pectoral fin length Anal length Girth length Anal fin length Depth at pectoral Depth at dorsal Pectoral fin base Height of second dorsal Depth at anus Length of peduncle Least height of caudal peduncle Head length Eye diameter Pre-orbital length Post-orbital length Inter-orbital width Upper jaw length Lower jaw length Depth of mouth Depth at eye Gape width

4 570 INDIAN J. MAR. SCI., VOL. 40, NO. 4, AUGUST 2011 Length group Table 4 Meristic counts in different length groups of Liza parsia First dorsal Second dorsal fin Pectoral fin Ventral fin Anal fin fin spines Spines Rays rays Spines Rays Spines Rays Discussion It is universal that growth of fishes or any other animal increases with the increase in body length. Thus, it can be said that length and growth are interrelated. Length weight relationship is expressed by the cube formula W = al 3 by earlier workers (Brody 14 ; Lagler 15 ; Brown 16 ). In the present study the value of b of Liza parsia ranged from to Here both length and weight were positively correlated. A similar case of b value was observed in Mugil cephalus by Luther 7. A study regarding the length-weight relationship of Liza parsia in relation to industrial pollution gave b value range of to by Rao, et al 17. Mortuza and Rahman 18 estimated the length weight relationship of Rhinomugil corsula and was Log W= ±2.941logL in male and Log W= ± 3.008logL in female. Katselisi et al 19 estimated the length-weight relationship of Liza saliens as Log W= ± 3.01logL. Arrudai et al 20 calculated the length-weight relationship of Liza aurata as log W = logL and that of Liza ramada was expressed as: logw = log L. In the case of Valmugil seheli Moorthy et al 21 reported the b value as showing an allometric growth pattern. Kurup and Samuel 8 calculated the lengthweight relationship of Liza parsia of Cochin estuary and found that the b value of male is and that of female is where the regression coefficient of female is lower than the male. A similar finding is also obtained in the present study in which the regression coefficient of female is lower than that of the male. Babu and Neelakantan 9 reported the b values of male and female as and respectively. All the earlier reports are in compliance with the present study in which the b value was very close to isometric value of 3 and this indicated that Liza parsia in the present study showed an isometric growth. The condition factor obtained in the present study ranged between to In male it varied from to 1.27 and in female it varied from to and the K value of female is higher than that of male. Rao et al 17 reported that the condition factor of Liza parsia varied from 0.64 to During the present study, 36 morphometric characters were taken from species Liza parsia. Of these characters, base of anal fin and dorsal fin showed a positive correlation in both sexes. In the case of female, caudal fin height, pectoral fin length, second dorsal height and length of peduncle showed a positive correlation and all the other characters in both sexes showed a high degree positive correlation. For instance, Dube and Dubey 22 in their study on Indian Mahseer recorded a simultaneous growth in length of head with increase in total length of fish. Al-Absy 23 while studying the relationship between the standard length and 21 morphometric measurements in the goat fish Mulloides flavolineatus recorded a steady increase in all measurements. It is clear that the spine and rays of first dorsal fin, second dorsal fin, anal fin, pectoral and ventral fin of Liza parsia remained constant in all groups of fishes having different body length. It means that in this study the meristic counts are independent of body size and there is no change in meristic counts in increase in body length following Talwar and Jhingran 24 and Vladykov 25. This corroborates with the studies in other fishes such as Mahseer sp. by Zafar et al 26. Variations in meristic characters were reported in many fishes such as Nematalosa nasus by Al-Hassan 27, Pseudobagrus ichikawai by Watanabe 28, and Perophyllum scalare by Bibi et al 29. Thus from the present investigation on length weight relationship and condition factor of Liza parsia indicate that the growth rate is quite satisfactory.

5 RENJINI & BIJOY: LENGTH-WEIGHT RELATIONSHIP, CONDITION FACTOR AND MORPHOMETRY OF GOLD 571 Acknowledgements Authors are thankful to the Head, Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology & Biochemistry, Cochin University of Science& Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Cochin, Kerala, India for the facilities for undertaking the work. References 1 LeCren, E.D The length weight relationship and seasonal cycle in gonad weight and condition in the perch (Perca fluviatilis).jour.animal Ecol., 20(2): Hile, R Age and growth of the Cisco, Leucichthys artedi (LeSueur), in the lakes of the north eastern high lands, Wisconsin. Bull. Bur. Fish. U.S., 48, 19: Payne, A.I The relative abundance and feeding habits of the grey mullet species occurring in an estuary in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Aquaculture., 5:107 4 Kurup, B.M. and C.T. Samuel Fish and fishery resources of the Vembanad lake. Proc.Symp. Harvest and Post Harvest. Tech. Fish., Sarojini, K.K Biology and fisheries of the grey mullets of Bengal I. Biology of Mugil parsia (Hamilton). Indian. J. Fish., 4: Sarojini, K.K Biology and fisheries of the grey mullets of Bengal II.Biology of Mugil cunnensis Val. Indian. J. Fish., 5: Luther, G Some observations on the biology of L.macrolepis (Smith) and Mugil cephalus Linnaeus (Mugilidae) with notes on the fishery of grey mullets near Mandapam. Indian. J. Fish., 10 a (2): Kurup, B.M. and C.T. Samuel Length-weight relationship in the gold spot mullet Liza parsia of Cochin estuary. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. India., 34(1-2): Babu, S. and B. Neelakantan Biology of Liza parsia in the Kali estuary, Karwar. Mahasagar, 16(3): Baburaj, D Some aspects of the biology of the mullet Valamugil speigleri (Bleeker) from Mangalore region. M.F.Sc Thesis, Univ. Agri. Sci. Bangalore. pp Wijayaratne, M.J.S. and H.H. Costa The food, feeding and reproduction of the Borneo mullet Liza macrolepis (Smith), in a coastal estuary in Srilanka. Indian J. Fish., 34(3): Appa Rao, T., 1966.On some aspects of biology of Lactarius lactarius (Schn). Indian. J.Fish., 13 : Dwivedi, S.N.and M.R.Menezes A note on morphometry and ecology of Brachiunius orientalis (Bloch & Schenider) in the estuary of Goa. Geobios, 1: Brody, S., Bioenegetics and growth. Reinhold publishing Corporation, New- York 15 Lagler, K.F, Freshwater Fishery Biology. Wm.C. Brown co., Dubuque, lowa. 317pp. 16 Brown, M.E The physiology of fishes. 1. Metabolism. Academic press. Inc., New York, Rao, L.M., B. M. Bharatha Lakshmi and Y.Bangaramma Length-weight relationship and condition factor of Liza parsia (Hamilton-Buchanan) in relation to industrial pollution. Indian. J. Fish., 52(3): Mortuza, M Golam and Tawfeequa Rahman Lengthweight relationship, condition factor and sex ratio of freshwater fish Rhinomugil corsula (Hamilton) (Mugiliformes: Mugilidae) from Rajashahi, Bangladesh. J. Bio. Sci., 14: Katselisi, G., C. Koutsikopoulosi and P. Kaspirisi Age determination and growth of leaping mullet, (Liza saliens, R 1810) from the Messolonghi Etoliko lagoon (western Greece). Medit. Mar. Sci., 3/2., Arrudai M Luis,. Jose N Azevedo and Aana I Neto Age and growth of the grey mullet (Pisces, Mugilidae) in Ria de Aveiro (Portugal). Sci.Mar., 55 (3): Venkatesha Moorthy, K. S., H.R.V. Reddy and T.S. Annappaswamy Diel Feeding Patterns, Gastric Evacuation Rate and Diets of the Mullet, Valamugil seheli (Forskal) in the Mulki Estuary, West Coast of India. Asian. Fish. Sci., 15: Dube Kiran and G.P. Dubey Biometric studies of Indian mahseer Tor tor (Ham) from Narmada river. Matsya, 12-13: Al-Absy, H. Ahmad The biometry, weight-length relationship and growth of the goat fish Mulloides flavolineatus (Lacepede) from the Gulf of Aquaba, Red Sea. Matsya, 12-13: Talwar, P.K. and Jhingran, A.G., Inland fishes of India. Rec.Ind. J., 3: Vladykov, V.D., Environmental and Taxonomic characters of fishes. Trans. R. Can.Inst., 20; Muhammad Zafar., Abdul, N., Nasim, A., Mechdi, S.M.H., Naqvi and Zia- Ur Rehman,M., Studies on Meristic counts and Morphometric Measurements of Mahseer (Tor putitora) from a spawning ground of Himalayan Foot-hill River Korang Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences 5 (6): Al- Hassan, L.A.J., Variations in meristic characters of Nematalosa nasus from Iraqi and Kuwaiti waters. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology. 33(4).pp Watanabe, K Meristic variation in the endangered bagrid catfish Pseudobagrus ichikawai. Ichthyol., Res., 45(1): Bibi, Elizabeth Koshy, and Oyyan, Selvaraj, and Muniandy, Sekaran, (2008). Variation in meristic characters of four strains of Malaysian Freshwater Angelfish Pterophyllum scalare(l.). Malaysian journal of science, 27(1). pp

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