Comparative survey of morphometric and meristic studies of four mullet species of family Mugilidae from Pakistan in relation to total body length.

Abstract

<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" "times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;="" mso-bidi-language:ar-sa;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"="" lang="EN-US">In the present investigation, about <span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" "times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;="" mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US">thirty-one morphometric and four meristic characters of <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">the mullet species (i.e.,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Liza melinoptera, Liza macrolepis, Valamugil speigleri</i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Mugil cephalus</i>) from the Karachi coast of Pakistan were measured and examined. Except <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">L. melinoptera, </i>the relationships between the whole body growth and various morphometric and meristic characters of each mullet species were found to be strong (r > 0.70; p<u><</u>0.05). <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Analysis of the variations among each morphometric or meristic character revealed the significant differences (ANOVA; p<u><</u>0.05) among these mullet species. </span></span></span></span>