Length-weight relationship, diet composition and condition factor of <i>Clarotes laticeps</i> from Lower River Benue

Abstract

Length weight relationship, diet composition and condition factor of 240 samples comprising of 79 male and 161 female of C. laticeps from Lower River Benue was determined. The mean total length, standard length, body weight, and condition factor of male Clarotes laticeps were 33.30±1.10, 27.70± 1.07, 464.30±465.03, and 1.05±0.05 respectively while the mean total length, standard length, body weight and condition factor of the female counterpart were 35.80±1.13, 29.33±1.05, 528.20±467.85 and 0.97±0.04 respectively. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the mean total length, standard length, body weight and condition factors between the male and female Clarotes laticeps. Female Clarotes laticeps had better ‘b’ value (3.13) than the males (3.01). Of the 240 C. laticeps examined, 35.00% samples had empty stomachs while 65.00% samples had different food items in their stomachs. Out of the 65.00% stomachs containing different food items, 31.40 % had full stomachs, 26.30 had half-full stomachs, 19.20% had quarter stomach while 23.10% had three quarter-full stomachs. Varieties of food items found in the stomachs C. laticeps ranged from plant to animal materials as well as sand and detritus. The most frequently food item consumed by C. laticeps was algae (85.90%) while insect part (20.12 %) had the least. Numerically, algae (37.24 %) had the highest while digested food particles (6.90%) was the least food item consumed.

Keywords: Length-weight, Diet composition, Clarotes laticeps, Condition factor and River Benue