Hard Anatomy and Morphometry of Hill Stream Fish [Channa punctatus (Bloch.)]

Abstract

Channa punctatus is a genus of the Channidae family of snakehead fish. The study on the cranial osteology showed that the bones of the skull were firmly articulated. The skull was well ossified, compact and had massive structure. The ethmoid was a bowl shaped bone, lachrymal was oval, quite prominent and suborbitals were three in number. Sphenotic was present along the ventral border of the frontal and had no attachment with the parietal. Epiotic lamellae were large. Each exoccipital enclosed a single foramen magnum. Dentary and premaxilla bear teeth. Endopterygoid had attachment with the quadrate. Angular provided attachment to the maxilla. The statistical data in respect to 14 morphometric characters exhibited a linear relationship among all the morphometric characters except body weight.