Landmark-based morphometric and meristic variations of stinging catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch) among three isolated stocks, the Old Brahmaputra river and the Tanguar haor and a hatchery

Abstract

The experiment was conducted by observing the landmark-based morphometric and meristic variations to evaluate the population status of three different stocks of stinging catfish or shing, Heteropnuestes fossilis. A total of 150 H. fossilis were collected from the Old Brahmaputra river, Mymensingh; the Tanguar haor, Sunamganj and a hatchery, Mymensingh during August to September 2011. Six meristic, sixteen morphometric characters and twenty three truss distances were measured. Significant differences were found in three meristic counts (P