Length-Weight Relationship, Condition Factor and Fecundity of African Snakehead Parachanna obscura from the Anambra River, South East Nigeria

Abstract

Abstract The length-weight relationship, condition factor, fecundity, gonadosomatic and hepatosomatic indices of Parachanna obscura from the Anambra River were determined between December 2015 and June 2016. Eighty-three live samples of P. obscura were obtained from fishermen. Descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis were used to analyze the obtained data. The length-weight relationship had R values of 0.933, 0.843 and 0.896 for male, female and combined sexes, respectively. The b value of 3.133 for male and 2.674 for female were not significantly different (P>0.05). Mean condition factors of 0.89±0.33 and 0.80±0.21 were obtained for female and male, respectively. The largest number of eggs (10,965) was found in a female with the body weight of 154 g, gonad weight of 9.1 g and egg size of 1.3 mm, while the least fecund female with 1820 eggs weighed (94 g) and had a gonad weight 2.1 g with egg size of 1.0 mm. The hepatosomatic indices ranged between 0.55±0.20 and 0.64±0.29 in both male and female, respectively, while female gonadosomatic index average was 2.05±1.44. There was a positive correlation between fecundity and gonad weight.