Morphometric features and proximate body composition of rocky freshwater prawn (Caridina africana, Kingsley 1882) at Erin-Ijesa waterfalls, Osun State Nigeria

An investigation was conducted on the morphometric features and proximate body composition of rocky freshwater prawn, Caridina africana occurring at Erin-Ijesa Waterfalls in Osun State, Nigeria. The adult prawns were collected at the first layer of the Waterfalls using scoop nets and locally fabricated sieves because of the shallow nature of the water body and tiny size of the species. Morphometric features were measured using measuring board and Vernier calipers while the proximate analysis was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in the laboratory. The morphometric variables placed the species correctly into the Infra order Caridea and family Atyidae because the first and second chelipeds were shorter than the remaining three pairs of walking legs. Male prawns were significantly bigger (p<0.05). than the females as revealed in the morphometric features. The proximate analysis showed that C. africana is composed of 58.79% protein, 5.42% lipid, 11.56% carbohydrate, 14.7% ash and 0.21 % crude fibre. The micro-nutrient composition included iron, zinc, copper, nickel and cadmium. The values for these nutrients make the study to suggest that C. africana could be a nutritive food bio-material for humans and other livestock nutrition especially the fin-fish aquaculture programme

EFFECT OF PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WATER OF RIVER OGUN ON THE DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF AQUATIC INSECTS

This study was carried out to determine the abundance, composition, distribution of aquatic insects and physico – chemical factors of Ogun River. The aquatic insects were collected using sweep and pond net (0.5mm) from two study sites during February and middle April, 2012. The water samples and insects were collected once in a week. Insects were sampled using standard entomological methods, while water samples was analysed using standard Winkler’s titrimetric and APHA methods to determine the chemical properties. Water analyses were conducted in the laboratory of Ogun State Water Corporation, Abeokuta, Ogun State. While insects identifications were done in the laboratory in the Entomology Laboratory of the College of Natural Sciences, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria. Results show that five orders and thirteen families were found with the highest number of aquatic insects from the order Odonata. The most abundant family were Coenagriidae and Libellulidae respectively. Physico – chemical values, water temperature, pH, Dissolved Oxygen ( DO), Conductivity and Nutrient were measured. Only conductivity had the greater value among the water quality parameters.Â