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International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies
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P-ISSN: 2394-0506, E-ISSN: 2347-5129

International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies

2015, Vol. 3, Issue 2, Part E

Biology of bigmouth sleeper, Eleotris vittata (Dumѐril, 1861) (Pisces: Eleotridae) in the lower Cross River, Nigeria


Author(s): Imaobong E Ekpo, Mandu A Essien-Ibok, Ezekiel E Effiong

Abstract: Between May and December 2014, the abundance, condition factor, length-weight relationship, food and feeding habits of the bigmouth sleeper, Eleotris vittata were studied in the lower Cross River, Nigeria. Data generated were subjected to statistical analyses analysis at 0.05 probability level. A total of 231 specimens were collected and examined. The highest number was recorded in the month of December (79 specimens; 34.20%) while September (2 specimens; 0.87%) had the least. The highest monthly condition factor was recorded in June (1.56) while November (1.30) had the lowest. E. vittata had total length and total weight ranges of 8.10-110.30cm and 5.07-342.70g respectively. Seasonal variation in abundance of E. vittata was higher (121 specimens; 52.38%) during the wet season than the dry season (110 specimens; 47.62%). The results obtained from the length-weight relationship graph showed that the growth pattern of the fish was negatively allometric with b values of 0.16 obtained at P<0.05. There was moderate correlation between the length and weight of the specimens as the correlation coefficient (r) was 0.5586. Feeding intensity was highest in the month of June (88.89 %GRI) and lowest in September (50.00 % GRI). The gut contents revealed that 5 food items were ingested of which three were of primary importance (crustaceans 78.83 %IFD, Pisces 18.88 %IFD and molluscs 10.32 %IFD) while the rest of the items (nematode 4.42 %IFD and macrophytes 3.51 %IFD) were of secondary importance. Hence, E. vittata is an invertivore-piscivore.

Pages: 346-352  |  1450 Views  62 Downloads

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How to cite this article:
Imaobong E Ekpo, Mandu A Essien-Ibok, Ezekiel E Effiong. Biology of bigmouth sleeper, Eleotris vittata (Dumѐril, 1861) (Pisces: Eleotridae) in the lower Cross River, Nigeria. Int J Fish Aquat Stud 2015;3(2):346-352.
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