Phenotypic and Genetic Variation in Freshwater Fish, Channa punctatus

This book incorporates the detailed research work on intraspecific diversity and reproductive biology of freshwater spotted murrel, Channa punctatus (Bloch, 1793). The fish, C. punctatus is a popular table fish because of its very low lipid contents and thus fetches a good price in the market. Stock identification and its knowledge are very important in fisheries sciences for aquaculture management and conservation practices. The current study revealed the presence of three different stocks of C. punctatus sampled from Northern and Eastern regions of India. These stocks showed high degree of phenotypic heterogeneity and genetic variability. Significant morphometric and meristic variation, different length-weight relationships and high DNA polymorphism existed between the three different stocks. The reproductive biology study of C. punctatus suggested that the spawning period coincides with the monsoon season with maximum spawning activity during the core monsoon months.