Morphological and Osteological Characterization of Three Fish Species from River Noyyal of Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, India
Divya Chandrasekar
Department of Biotechnology, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Anbu Aravazhi Arunkumar *
Department of Biotechnology, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
According to the World-Wide Fund for Nature [1] the number of freshwater species worldwide has decreased by about 83% since 1970. Morphology and Osteology is one of the most important taxonomic features for identifying and classifying fish species. In this study, samples of three species were collected from various locations of Noyyal river. The specimens were identified morphologically and processed clearing and a double staining method. Based on the outcomes the species were described in detailed skeletal morphometry and compared.
Keywords: Morphology, osteology, Noyyal river, Devario aequipinnatus, Barilius gatensis, Oreochromis niloticus