Allometric variations and condition factor in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Cellana karachiensis </i> (Winckworth, 1930) found at two adjacent rocky coasts of Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

Length-length and length-weight relationship and condition factor is described for <i>Cellana karachiensis </i>(Winckworth, 1930) collected between November 2007 and April 2009 from rocky shores of Buleji and Paradise Point. Maximum total length registered for this species was 50 mm at Buleji and 40 mm at Paradise Point. Shell length-shell width, shell length-shell height and shell width-shell height showed strong relationship between the variables. Shell length-shell height relationships for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">C. karachiensis</i> showed a positive allometry, which is common in high-shore limpets in order to lower the rate of water loss in these animals. <span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Value of <i>b</i>, the value of <i>b </i>> 3.0 for shell length and weight relationship indicated a positive allometric growth in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">C. karachiensis</i> at both sites<span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">. Analysis of variance showed <span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">significant difference between the value of <i>b</i> during different seasons at Buleji and Paradise Point. Condition factor (CF) calculated for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">C. karachiensis<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic"> </span></i>ranged between 1.007 to 1.108 at Buleji and 1.008 to 1.064 at Paradise Point. Analysis of variance showed no significant difference between CF values in different seasons at two sites. A similar condition factor in different seasons showed that food availability remained constant throughout the year in coastal waters of Pakistan.

</span></span></span>