Length-weight relationship and relative condition of Heterobranchus longifilis (Valenciennes) from Idodo River, Nigeria

Abstract

Length-weight relationship parameters of Heterobranchus longifilis males, females and combined sexes are given. The samples were collected from Idodo River, with size ranging from 123 mm total length, L, to 936 mm L. The values obtained for the mean L by sex show that males were significantly (p<0.05) larger than females. The results show that the slope (b) is significantly (p<0.05) below 3.0 for the male, female and pooled sample. The species exhibit a negative allometric growth pattern. The relative condition of fish shows seasonal variation, with females generally being in better condition than the males.