The threatened indigenous small fish, Mystus vittatus (Bloch 1794) is a commercially important fish of Bangladesh.
The present study describes the fecundity and its relationships with some of the morphometrics and condition factors
(Fulton’s, KF; Relative weight, WR) of M. vittatus. A total of 50 matured female M. vittatus were collected using the cast
net from the Padma River during May-July, 2012. Total fecundity (FT
) of each female was calculated as the number
of oocytes found in each ovary, whereas relative fecundity (FR) was the number of oocytes per gram of fish weight.
The total length (TL) ranged from 8.21 to 12.36 cm (10.60±1.08 cm) and the body weight (BW) varied between 6.0 and
21.65 g (14.08±4.15 g). The FT
ranged from 3256 to 22549 with a mean value of 13064.50±4920 while the FR ranged
from 472 to 1648 oocytes per gram of female, with a mean of 929±245. Significant and strong relationships were found
between FT vs. TL (r
2 = 0.63; p<0.001), FT vs. BW (r2 = 0.61; p<0.001), FT vs. OW (r
2 = 0.89; p<0.001) and FT vs. GSI (rs =
0.67; p<0.001), but insignificant relationships were recorded for FT vs. KF (rs = 0.11; p = 0.452), FT vs.WR (rs
= 0.001;
p = 0.997). The information provided in this study will help initiating sustainable management and conservation of the
threatened M. vittatus in the region.