Biometric evaluation of Gangetic pool barb Puntius sophore (Hamilton, 1822) from the River Ganga, Bihar, India

The Gangetic pool barb Puntius sophore (Hamilton, 1822) is widely distributed in the freshwater ecosystems of the Indian subcontinent and it is reasonably well-priced due to its nutritional value. A study was conducted to assess the morphometry, length-frequency distribution (LFD), length-weight relationship (LWR), condition factor (CF) and sex ratio of P. sophore collected from the Digha Ghat Patipul in Patna, between March 2019 and February 2020. Fifteen morphometric characters and nine meristic counts of 137 specimens were examined for biometric evaluation and 982 samples (1.56-22.09 g TW, 51.06-115.11 mm TL) were analysed for LFD, LWR and CF, respectively. LFD revealed that 28.49% of the males sampled were in the 75-80 mm length class, while 15.94% of the total females sampled were in the 70-75 mm length class. In morphometric analysis, significant correlations were found across the variables and the highest correlation was observed between total length and standard length (r>0.981). LWR exponent value showed positive allometric growth patterns for male, female, and combined sexes, respectively. Condition factor showed no significant variation between the sexes and the observed average values were 1.06 and 1.24 for males and females, respectively (p<0.05). Analysis of the sex ratio showed that females outnumbered males from the 85-90 mm length group onwards and no male specimens were found beyond the 105-110 mm length group.