Morphometry, Length-Weight Relationships And Length Distributions Of Five Populations Of The Freshwater Bivalve Aspatharia Sinuata (Unionacea, Mutelidae) In Nigeria
Abstract
This study examines the shell morphometries, length-weight relationships, and length distributions of some lotic and lentic populations of the mutelid bivalve Aspatharia sinuata occurring in Nigeria. The shell dimension ratios suggest that the populations belong to a common specific unit, and the low variabilities ( < 10%) in intrapopulation shell dimension ratios indicate the relative stabilily of shell form at all sizes and in both sexes. The shell dry weight, tissue dry weight, and live weight increased exponentially with increasing shell length, and in the latter the exponents ranged from 2.8691 to 3.5653, thus suggesting a general isometric growth In the populations. The variations observed in the length frequency distributions of the populations were possibly ecologically determined.
