MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A RED STRAIN OF THE EGYPTIAN AFRICAN CATFISH (Clarias gariepinus BURCHELL 1822)
Abstract: Characteristics of
the Egyptian African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) strain introduced to
Indonesia has not been extensively explored yet, especially the red strain.
Previous studies suggested that at the same body length, body weight of the red
strain was higher and it was more rotund than that of the normal (black) ones.
These differences need to be further investigated to find out which parts of
the body mainly contributed to shape the differences. The present study was
carried out to explore morphological differences of the red strain of Egyptian
African catfish compared to the black strain through morphometric and meristic
characterizations. Meristic and morphometric characterizations in the present
study were carried out following standard method for morphological
characterization of Clarias catfish. The fish samples consisted of each 35 red
and black table-sized fish samples resulted from inbred and outbred spawnings.
Results of the morphometric and meristic analysis in the present study revealed
that the red strain of Egyptian African catfish resulted from inbred spawning
of red strain brooders was morphologically different from that of either
parental fishes or the black strains. At the same body length, head of the red
strain was bigger (wider and longer) than other strains, and its body was
stumpy (more rotund and shorter than other strains), deviated from those normal
characteristics of the Egyptian African catfish. Its meristic characters were
also differed from those of other strains, assigned by reduced dorsal and anal
fin rays number.
Keywords: meristic;
morphometric; red strain of Egyptian African catfish, Clarias gariepinus
Author: Bambang Iswanto, Rommy
Suprapto, Huria Marnis, Imron
Journal Code: jpperikanangg160049
