Iran. J. Ichthyol. (December 2015), 2(4): 296–298 Received: September 14, 2015 © 2015 Iranian Society of Ichthyology Accepted: December 6, 2015 P-ISSN: 2383-1561; E-ISSN: 2383-0964 doi: http://www.ichthyol.ir Short Communication Length-weight relationships for three species from Beheshtabad River, Karun River Drainage, Iran Yazdan KEIVANY*, Mosayeb AALIPOUR, Masoud SIAMI, Samaneh Sadat MORTAZAVI Department of Natural Resources (Fisheries Division), Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, 84156-83111, Iran. *Email: [email protected] Abstract: The length-weight relationships for three fish species from Beheshtabad River, Karun River Drainage (Western Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Provinces, Iran) were investigated. The values of the slope parameter (b) in the length-weight relationship equations were determined as 2.79 for Capoeta damascina, 3.10 for Chondrostoma regium and 3.09 for Oncorhynchus mykiss, all of which were significantly different from the expected b=3 value, indicating a negative allometric growth pattern for Capoeta damascina and positive allometric growth patterns for Chondrostoma regium and Oncorhynchus mykiss. Keywords: Capoeta, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Chondrostoma, Growth parameters, Oncorhynchus. Introduction relationships are reported here for the first time from The length-weight relationships (LWRs) of fishes are this river (Froese & Pauly 2015). commonly used to estimate the weight of a specimen from its length and vice versa. Also, in order to Materials and Methods estimate the biomass, it is necessary to know the The specimens were collected on a monthly basis length-weight relationships of the species. The during March 2013 to March 2014 from Beheshtabad conversion of growth in length equations to growth- River, Karun River Drainage (31°11'0.8"N, in-weight and is also useful for between-region 51°26'59"E) in western Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari comparisons of life histories of species (Binohlan & Province, by different types of fishing gears: a gill net Pauly 1998; Radkhah & Eagderi 2015). with a mesh size of 50mm and a cast net with a mesh In this study we provide the length-weight size of 15mm. Sampled fishes were anesthetized in relationships (LWR) for two cyprinid species, 1% clove oil and fixed in 10% neutralized formalin namely, Capoeta damascina (Valenciennes, 1842), and transferred to the Ichthyology laboratory of and Chondrostoma regium (Heckel, 1843) and a Isfahan University of Technology for further salmonid fish, namely, Oncorhynchus mykiss examinations. For each specimen, total length (TL) (Walbaum, 1792), from the Beheshtabad River was measured with a digital caliper to the nearest (Western Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran). 0.01mm, and whole body wet weight was measured The first two species are native to the river, but the on a digital scale to the nearest 0.01g. third one is a farm escaped species which has been Length-weight relationship was estimated using the now established in the river. There is relatively a equations: good deal of information available for the three W=αLb species from other regions, but their length-weight and 296 Keivany et al.-Length-weight relationships for three species from Beheshtabad River Table 1. Descriptive statistics and length-weight relationship parameters for three species from the Beheshtabad River during March 2013-March 2014. (N: sample size; TL: total length; Min: minimum; Max: maximum; r2: coefficient of determination). TL (cm) W (g) Species N a b r2 Min-Max Min-Max Capoeta damascina 127 16.00-493.00 49.00-1243.00 0.000 2.79 0.95 Chondrostoma regium 335 3.32-23.1 1.90-155 0.008 3.10 0.94 Onchorhyncus mykiss 170 17.10-41.20 56.00-772.00 0.008 3.09 0.94 Fig.1. The length-weight relationship for Capoeta damascina from Beheshtabad River during March Fig.2. The length-weight relationships for 2013-March 2014. Chondrostoma regium from Beheshtabad River during March 2013-March 2014. log (W) = log(a) + b log(L) Where W is the whole body weight (g) and L the total length (cm). To demonstrate the significant differences of the obtained b-values from the expected isometric value b=3, a t-test expressed by the following equation (Sokal & Rohlf 1987) was used: 푏 − 3 푡푠 = 푠푏 Where ts is the t-test value; b is the slope and Sb is the standard error of the slope. Comparison of the Fig.3. The length-weight relationships for obtained values in t-test and the respective tabled Onchorhyncus mykiss from Beheshtabad River during critical values determine the b values statistical March 2013-March 2014. significance, and their inclusion in the isometric In this study the exponent b for Capoeta damascina range (b=3) or allometric range (b<3 for negative was 2.79, for Chondrostoma regium was 3.10 and for allometric or b>3 for positive allometric growth Oncorhynchus mykiss was 3.09 (Table 1), all of patterns). The coefficient r2 was also calculated. which were significantly different from the expected Statistical analyses were performed in SPSS 19. b=3 value <P<0.05), indicating a negative allometric growth pattern for Capoeta damascina (Fig. 1) and Results positive allometric growth patterns for The values of the slope parameter (b) of the selected Chondrostoma regium (Fig. 2) and Oncorhynchus species and related statistics are presented in Table 1. mykiss (Fig. 3). 297 Iranian Journal of Ichthyology (December 2015), 2(4): 296-298 Discussion Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 41: 261-263. The exponent b in length-weight relationships Ghanbarifardi, M.; Ghasemian, S.; Aliabadian, M. & normally falls between 2.5 and 3.5 (Froese 2006). In Pehpuri, A. 2014. Length–weight relationships for this study the exponent b for all the species was three species of mudskippers (Gobiiformes: within this range and therefore the parameters can be Gobionellidae) in the coastal areas of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, Iran. Iranian Journal of used within the referred length ranges. However, Ichthyology 1: 29-31. length-weight relationships are not constant over the Hasankhani, H.; Keivany Y.; Raeisi, H.; Pouladi, M. & year and may vary significantly due to biological, Soofiani, N.M. 2013. Length-weight relationships food availability, temporal and sampling factors, of three cyprinid fishes from Sirwan River, health and sex (Froese 2006; Alavi-Yeganeh et al. Kurdistan and Kermanshah provinces in western 2011; Daneshvar et al. 2013; Hasankhani et al. 2013, Iran. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 29, 1170- 2014; Ghanbarifardi et al. 2014; Keivany et al. 2016) 1171. none of which were considered in this study. In Hasankhani, M.; Keivany, Y.; Daliri, M.; Pouladi, M. & conclusion, this study provides basic information on Soofiani, N.M. 2014. Length–weight and length– LWRs for these species that would be useful for length relationships of four species (Barbus lacerta, fishery biologists and managers in western Iran. Pseudorasbora parva, Squalius lepidus and Oxynoemacheilus angorae) from the Sirwan River, western Iran. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 30: Acknowledgements 206-207. We would like to thank S. Asadollah for his help in Keivany, Y.; Ghorbani, M.; Dopeikar, H.; Kiani, F. & fish collection. This research was financially Paykan-Heyrati, F. 2016. Length-weight and supported by Isfahan University of Technology. length–length relationships of three cyprinid species from the Bibi-Sayyedan River, western References Iran. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 32: In press. Alavi-Yeganeh, M.S.; Seifabadi, S.J.; Keivany, Y.; Radkhah, A. & Eagderi, S. 2015. 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