Gross morphometry of the heart of farmed African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in Maiduguri, Nigeria

Abstract

The study was designed to investigate the gross morphometric of heart of farmed African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in Maiduguri, Nigeria. The total of twenty fish comprises of both male and female were used for this study, the average weight of fish were 980 g, average length of fish were 42 cm, average weight of heart were 1.3 gm and average length of heart were 2.6 cm. Grossly the heart were seen enclosed in a thin membranous sac, pericardium and lies cranio-dorsally to the pectoral region. It consist of sinus venosus, an atrium, ventricle and a thin walled structure known as bulbus arteriosus. The thin walled sinus venosus forms the caudo-dorsal part of the heart. The atrium is very well developed and forms the prominent chamber of the heart having irregular outline. The inner line of atrium is spongy due to criss cross formations of muscle fibres and forms a number of smaller pits very much pronounced to the left part. The muscular ventricle is laterally compressed and has a large ventral age, cranially to the ventricle is a small pear-shaped bulbus arteriosus with a small basal portion which continues to the gills capillaries. Therefore the present study shows the gross morphometric of the heart and its components of C. gariepinus in Maiduguri, Nigeria.