Food items and general condition of <i>Hyperopisus bebe occidentalis</i> (Lacepede, 1803) caught in Warri River, Nigeria

Abstract

A total number of 202 specimens, comprising 75 females and 127 male specimens of Hyperopisus bebe occidentalis were caught from Warri River. This gave a 1:1.7 female to male sex ratio. The total length range for male specimens was 189.2 to 355.0 mm and 246.0 to 376.1 mm for females. The body weight range for male specimens was 51.0 to 448.0 g, while that recorded for female specimens was 106.0 to 400.0 g. The correlation coefficient for length-weight relationship revealed significant differences (P<0.05) for male (‘r’ = 0.77) and female (‘r’ = 0.51) specimens, respectively. The slope of the regression co-efficient 'b' was (2.68) for males and 1.76 for females. Both values were less than 3 implying that the fish increased more in total length than in body weight. The condition index was more favorable for male (4.64) than for female (4.14) specimens based on mean value calculated on fresh and gutted body weights.

Key words: Food items, Hyperopisus bebe occidentalis, Warri River, condition factor.