Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India

A comparison of meristic characters of the Malabar sole Cynoglossus semifasciatus Day from different centres of the west coast of India.

Volume 26 Issue 1&2

G. Sehappa and B. K. Chakrapani

Abstract

Samples of Cynoglossus semifasciatus Day taken between January 1980 and January 1982 from different places of the west coast (Viz. Malpe, Mangalore, Cannanore, Calicut and Cochin) were statistically I analysed for selected characters for inter-regional comparison of the populations. Meristic characters such as dorsal finrays, anal finrays, caudal finrays, cephalic scales of the lateral line, post-cephalic scales of the lateral line, and the transverse rows of scales between the lateral lines, were used in this comparative study. Both variance analysis and the "Student's" t-test have been used in the statistical analysis.

The study indicates some variability in the meristic characters among the different centres, the samples of Cochin perhaps belonging to a stock rather different from the other centres which (on the basis of these characters) seem to belong to a common stock though with variations from place to place.

Date : 31-12-1984