Fish length and otolith size relationship of the channa striata in lake rawa pening, Central Java, Indonesia

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between length, width and weight of the otolith to the total length and daily ring in otolith of the snakehead (Channa striata Bloch, 1793). Fish sampling was conducted monthly from October 2017 to August 2018 on Lake Rawa Pening, Central Java, Indonesia. Fish total length, then otolith length, width, and weight were measured, and sex determined. Otoliths were embedded in epoxy acrylic resins and cut from the anterior to the posterior limits, in a transversal section, using a double ceramic saw. The daily ring number was calculated under a light microscope with a magnification of 100-200. The sampling population consisted of 217 individuals, among which 85 females and 132 males. Female and male average lengths were 36.6 cm and 33.0 cm, respectively, ranging over the intervals from 24.2 to 64.8 cm and 23.4 to 64.6 cm, respectively. The average number of daily rings of the otoliths was 180 days, with a range of 108-309 days. The number of otolith daily rings between left and right and between females and males did not differ significantly. © 2020, BIOFLUX SRL. All rights reserved.