Effect of ecotype on Heamtology of <i>Clarias Gariepinus</i> (Burchell 1822)

Abstract

A study on the possible effect of ecotype on the haematological physiology of the African mud catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822), was investigated by randomly sampling C. gariepinus from three different ecotypes: wild (Oyan lake reservoir), semi-intensive culture system (earthen pond) and from intensive culture system (fibre-glass rearing tanks). Blood samples from 15 fish were obtained from each of the ecotype and subjected to haematological analyses using standard methods. The following haematological parameters were investigated and found to be significantly different (p<0.05) in the catfish from the different ecotypes: red blood cell count (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin concentration (Hb), white blood cell count (WBC), lymphocytes, erythrocytes sedimentation rate (ESR), neutrophils and monocytes. However, only the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of the haematological indices was significantly (p<0.05) affected. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the physico-chemical parameters of the culture water from the three different ecotypes also revealed that dissolved oxygen (DO), total dissolved solids (TDS) alkalinity and conductivity were significantly different (p<0.05). Results from this study suggest that the ecotype from where C. gariepinus is sourced can influence the haematological parameters and hence the need to reckon with them when reporting haematological parameters of this fish species.

Keywords: Ecotype, blood parameters, Clarias gariepinus, wild, culture

Journal of Aquatic Sciences 28 (1): 83-92 (2013)