Journal of Applied Biosciences (J. Appl. Biosci.) [ISSN 1997 - 5902]
Volume 34: 2166 - 2172. Published October 7, 2010.
Morphometric measurements and meristic counts in mudskipper (Periophthalmus papilio)from mangrove swamps of Lagos lagoon, Nigeria
LAWSON Emmanuel O.* and WHENU Olusegun O.
Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Science, Lagos State University, Ojo. P.O. Box 001, LASU Post Office, Lagos, Nigeria.
*Corresponding author email: ollulawson@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Objective: To obtain information of morphometric measurements and meristic counts of the mudskipper, Periophthalmus papilio, Bloch & Schneider (1801) in mangrove swamps of Lagos lagoon in Nigeria. The Mudskipper, P. papilio is one of the fish species that contribute to the fisheries of Lagos lagoon. Its versatility is due to its benthic nature, crawling on the mudflats of the mangrove swamps. Methodology and results: A total of 2167 live specimens were caught from three (3) experimental stations located in the mangrove swamps. Morphometric measurements and meristic characters were determined on the specimens to ascertain the possibility of genetic diversity among them. The morphometric measurements, i.e. eye diameter (ED) varied from 4-8mm; head diameter (HD), 20-34mm; head length (HL), 22-43mm; body depth (BD), 15-33mm and total length (TL), 140-190mm. The meristic characters of the species included 10-13 anterior dorsal fin rays, 11-14 rays in the posterior dorsal fin and 10 anal fin rays. The upper jaw had between 18-20 teeth while 20 to 22 teeth were counted on the lower jaw. The populations of the species among the three (3) experimental stations in the lagoon showed variations in morphometric measurements and meristic counts but these did not differ significantly (P≥0.05), indicating that the populations from the stations may not be genetically diversified. These insignificant variations may be related to the geography, ecology and human activities of the lagoon.
Conclusion and application of results: In the present study there was no taxonomic variation to show presence of any other related species except P. papilio in Lagos lagoon based on our methodology, in furtherance to this work, we have embarked on a research programme at molecular level of analysis (e.g. Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers, RAPD markers) which may provide better or more precise results on genetic and morphological diversities among the populations of this fish in Lagos lagoon, Nigeria.
Key words: Mudskipper, diversity, amphibious, lagoon, morphometric and meristic measurements.
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