Environmental oil pollution: a possible cause for the incidence of ankylosis, kyphosis, lordosis and scoliosis in five fish species collected from the vicinity of Jubail City, Saudi Arabia, Arabian Gulf

Abstract

Spinal deformities such as scoliosis (lateral curvature), lordosis (ventral curvature), kyphosis (dorsal curvature) and ankylosis (fusion of vertebrae) have been described in many species both cultured and from the wild population. Specimens of Epinephelus tauvina, Siganus canaliculatus, Argyrops spinifer, Scomberomorus guttatus and Lethrinus nebulosus were used in this study. Four out of five deformed specimens showed abnormalities in the caudal region of the vertebral column. The specimen of E. tauvina showed the most acute deformity among the cases studied. All cases were not fatal as they occurred in adult individuals. The paper discusses the possible causes for such deformities as well as the suitability of this kind of study for environmental monitoring.