Abstract
The morphometric analysis was carried out in indigenous cyprinid food fish, Schizothorax labiatus (a species of snow trout) collected from Vishav stream, a perennial cold water stream of Kashmir valley, India, wherein various morphometric characters viz., Total Length (TL), Standard Length (SL), Fork Length (FL), Pre-dorsal Length (PDL), Pre-pectoral Length (PPL), Pre-pelvic Length (PPeL), Pre-anal Length (PAL), Anal Fin Length (AL), Head Length (HL), Height of Dorsal Fin (HOD), Snout Length (SnL), Body Depth (BD), Eye Diameter (ED), Inter Orbital Length (IOL), Caudal Fin Length (CL) and Caudal Depth (CD) of 104 fish specimens were measured, correlated and analysed. The morphometric data was calculated in the percentage of total length except SnL, ED and IOL which were calculated in the percentage of HL. The result revealed that the correlation coefficient ranged from 0.770 to 0.995 in proportion to TL and 0.706 to 0.859 in proportion to HL which indicates that all the morphometric characters are highly correlated. All the correlations were significant at the level of p<0.01. During the investigation, the results revealed that in the % of TL, 8 characters were found to be genetically controlled 4 characters as intermediate and none character as environmentally controlled one. In the % of HL, 1 character was found to be included in intermediate character, 2 characters in environmentally controlled characters and none in purely genetically controlled one. As revealed by the regression analysis of different morphometric characters in proportion to TL, the maximum growth was obtained for FL (b = 0.9664) and the minimum growth was obtained for AL (b = 0.0655) and in proportion to HL, the maximum growth was obtained for IOL (b = 0.4689) and the minimum growth was obtained for ED (b = 0.0852).
Highlights
The much prized indigenous food fishes of Kashmir valley taxonomically under family cyprinidae include Schizothoracine species viz. Schizothorax niger, S. labiatus, S. esocinus, S. plagiostomus and S. curvifrons
The morphometric data analysed statistically revealed some significant results as depicted in (Table 1 and Figure 3), wherein, in % of Total Length (TL), the maximum Standard Deviation (SD) and maximum variance is seen in case of Pre-anal Length (PAL) and the minimum SD and minimum variance is seen in case of Caudal Depth (CD)
While as in % of Head Length (HL), the maximum SD and maximum variance is seen in case of Inter Orbital Length (IOL) and the minimum SD and minimum variance is seen in case of Eye Diameter (ED)
Summary
The much prized indigenous food fishes of Kashmir valley taxonomically under family cyprinidae include Schizothoracine species viz. Schizothorax niger, S. labiatus, S. esocinus, S. plagiostomus and S. curvifrons. A high degree of variation in morphology is seen within and among populations of fishes than other vertebrates as they are more susceptible elements of variation with respect to environmental parameters[3,4,5,6,7]. The subfamily Schizothoracine is one of the much prized food fish among the indigenous fish fauna of Kashmir valley and a considerable similarity among the stocks of indigenous Schizothoracine has been noticed in different water bodies of Kashmir valley. They are commonly known by the name as ‘snow trouts’ because of their dominance in snow fed and the torrential mountain streams of Himalaya and central Asia[15]. Keeping in view the morphological disparity and food value of S. labiatus, an attempt was made to take such a problem in hand for the proper morohometric analysis of S. labiatus from Vishav stream which subsequently will generate a baseline data for the comparison of morphometrical variations with respect to stream habitats and subsequently its proper identification, conservation and management
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