Reproductive Traits of Invasive Amazon Sailfin Catfish (Pterygoplichthys pardalis) in Association with the Nutrient Concentration of the Invaded Habitat
Reproductive Traits of Invasive Amazon Sailfin Catfish (Pterygoplichthys pardalis) in Association with the Nutrient Concentration of the Invaded Habitat
Ajmal Hussan1, AT Ramachandra Naik2, Subhendu Adhikari3, Arabinda Das3, Farhana Hoque3, Pramod Kumar Sahoo4 and Jitendra Kumar Sundaray4*
ABSTRACT
An eight-month study (May to December 2022) was conducted to evaluate the reproductive traits of Amazon sailfin catfish Pterygoplichthys pardalis in relation to the nutrient contents (nitrogen and phosphorus) of the invaded sites of East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW), India. Over the study period a total of 608 adult specimens of the fish and 120 water samples were collected from five distinct sites of the wetlands. Sex ratios were found highly female-biased in all study sites with no discernible site-wise variation (χ2= 1.372, p= 0.843). However, total length at maturity showed significant variation between sites for both, male (p= 0.005) and female (p= 0.002). Mean gonadosomatic index (GSI) showed significant variation for females (F4,322= 4.172, p= 0.003), while for males it was found coequal (p= 0.259) between sites. Absolute fecundity of ripe females ranged between 2100 and 7850, but not changed significantly by sites (p= 0.555).No significant differences by sites were also observed in relative fecundity and egg size of ripe females. Hydrological parameter analysis showed significant differences in concentration of ammonia (p= 0.003), nitrate (p<0.001) and phosphate (p<0.001) between study sites. Analysis of pearson correlation reveled a significant correlation between nutrient contents of the invaded sites and reproductive traits of Amazon sailfin catfish. Mean GSI of mature female, gonad mass and absolute fecundity of ripe females were found to have a significant (p<0.05) positive correlation (r ≥0.123) with phosphorus concentration of the study sites. Whereas, male Amazon sailfin catfish length at maturity was found negatively correlated (r= – 0.198) with phosphorus concentration. However, only the GSI of mature males exhibited a significant (p=0.035) and positive correlation (r=0.117) with total nitrogen (ammonia + nitrate).
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