A comparative study of the hematological parameters of Clarias batrachus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) from North Bihar, India

Abstract

The genus Clarias (Family: Clariidae; order: Siluriformes) incorporates air breathing Clariid catfishes, having ability to survive out of water for longer duration. Clarias batrachus (Linnaeus, 1758) [24], commonly called as ‘Magur’, is an endogenous species of India and is very popular in Asiatic countries because of its taste and medicinal properties. Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822), an African catfish commonly called as ‘Thai magur, is deadly carnivorous exotic species introduced to India through various trade means. This exotic species has undergone tremendous adaptation to the physicochemical condition of the aquatic bodies of Bihar, India, resulting in a considerable decline of the native species C. batrachus from the local fish market. The aim of the present study was to investigate and establish reference ranges by comparing haematological indices of two closely allied fresh water air breathing species of family Clariidae i.e. C. batrachus and C. gariepinus from the wetland of North Bihar. In the present study hematological indices like red blood corpuscles (RBC), total and differential white blood corpuscles (WBC), hematocrit (Ht), haemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were measured in the blood samples of both the fish species using standard methods. The values were determined as mean ± SEM for thirty (n=30) replicates in each parameter. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the haematological findings between and within these two species of catfishes. Most of the haematological parameters differ non-significantly (p