The Omani sandfish sea cucumber, Holothuria scabra Jaeger, 1833 (Holothuroidea: Holothuriidae): Fishery, length-Weight relationship and condition factor

The fishery of Omani sea cucumber, Holothuria scabra, is limited so far to the Mahout Bay in Al Wusta governorate. This fishery supports an uncertain number of fishermen ranging from 100 to 150. This fishery is not well-studied and has no current management program. In order to prepare a management strategy, the government has suspended this fishery for 2 years from March 2018 to March 2021. Apart from presenting a thorough review on the sea cucumber fishery in Oman, the current work presents a detailed analysis of the length–weight relationship, sex ratio, and condition factor of the H. scabra collected from four different areas during the period February-May 2019. Based on the results, the females were longer than males, that is 226±33.4 and 221±37.8 mm, respectively. The overall sex ratio of the entire/pooled sample was 0.49 which was not different from the anticipated theoretical sex ratio of 0.5. The mean Kn and the empirical weight–length equations for the total sample were between 0.12±0.01 and 1.0±0.16, and W=0.03L1.6, respectively

Evaluation of length-weight relationship for a native goby, Awaous jayakari (Teleostei: Gobiidae) in the Middle East

Parameters of length-weight relationship of freshwater and marine fishes have long been of interest as a longstanding theme fisheries sciences and have been estimated for many fishes around the world. In this study, for the first time, length weight relationship (LWR) was estimated for a native fish, the long nose goby Awaous jayakari (Gobiidae) collected from the inland waters of Oman in 2020 using foldable shrimp and crab fishing traps (mesh size of 3*3mm). The parameter of b for male and female specimens based on standard length (SL) was within the range of 2.666-4.377 and 2.852-3.374 respectively. As proposed for different fishes there was high and significant correlation coefficients with between length and weight of (0.970-0.983). Bailey’s ‘t’ test revealed that b value significantly deviated from 3 for both males and females

Length-Weight relationships of nine goatfish species (Teleostei: Mullidae) from the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea

Goatfishes (Teleostei, Mullidae) are a group of mainly coastal fishes that form an important part of food chains, and also have commercial value. In addition, they are valuable fishes in ecosystem monitoring and management programs because they are sensitive to human-induced activities such as fisheries and habitat modification. Mathematical models of fish growth provide an objective and practical method for description of growth parameters and estimation of fish weight at different time series. This study presents and describes length-weight relationships for nine goatfish species belonging to three genera (Mulloidichthys, Parupeneus and Upeneus) collected from the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. The estimated parameter "˜b' values ranged from The slope (b) of LWRs for all mullid species fell within the expected range of 2-4 varying from 2.370 for Parupeneus heptacanthus to 3.179 for Upeneus vittatus based on TL and from 2.391 for U. sundaicus to 3.804 for P. rubescens based on SL,and r2 values ranged from 0.927 for Upeneus tragula to 0.992 for U. pori. All the LWRs were highly significant, with p<0.005.

Microcotyle omanae n. sp. (Monogenea: Microcotylidae), a parasite of Cheimerius nufar (Valenciennes) (Sparidae) from the Arabian Sea

Microcotyle omanae n. sp. (Monogenea: Microcotylidae) is described from the gills of Cheimerius nufar (Valenciennes) (Sparidae) from the Arabian Sea. The new species closely resembles Microcotyle arripis Sandars, 1945, M. helotes Sandars, 1944, M. caudata Goto, 1984 and M. sebastis Goto, 1984, which have also been found in the Indo-Pacific. Microcotyle omanae n. sp. differs from M. arripis, M. helotes and M. caudata by its greater number of testes, from M. arripis, M. helotes by its greater length of the genital atrium, length/width ratio of the genital atrium and length of the eggs, and from M. helotes also in greater width of the clamps, from M. caudata and M. sebastis in its greater number of clamps and additionally from M. sebastis by its smaller genital atrial spines and clamps and by the ratio between length and width of the genital atrium. Moreover, the mature specimens of the new species have greater average body length than all above mentioned species. Correlations between 15 morphometric characters and body length are analysed in the new species, and their significance for species differentiation is discussed

Length-weight relationships and condition factors of Sardinella longiceps (Valenciennes, 1847) from Seeb, Sultanate of Oman

Decadal (from 1997 to 2009) comparative analysis of the length-weight relationship and condition factors of Indian Oil Sardine (Sardinella longiceps) of the Sultanate of Oman was studied for long-term management. The length-weight data were collected from Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, Sultanate of Oman. An isometric growth (b = 3) was seen in 1997, a positive allometric growth (b > 3) was observed between 2004 and 2009, and a negative allometric growth (b < 3) was observed in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Fulton’s condition factor in the studied years were 0.857, 0.897, 0.911, 0.902, 0.885 and 0.900, respectively. The results of this study can be used as a valuable tool by fishery biologists, managers and conservationists to carry out Sardinella longiceps stock assessments along the coast of Sultanate of Oman and its neighbouring countries

Qualitative analysis of sardine and anchovy oscillations and implications for the management of sardine and anchovy fisheries in Oman

Sardines and anchovies are small pelagic fishes that support important commercial fisheries around the world. This project reviews the inverse cyclic behavior in the abundance of these two stocks, which is a striking feature in many regions. In addition, the project used qualitative loop analysis techniques to analyze the feasible sardine-anchovy model configurations that result in the inverse relationship between sardines and anchovies. A simple community model was examined that considers fishing, sardine and anchovy biomass, and food resources for the sardines and anchovies. First, the stability of these model configurations was investigated to determine the conditions that should be met to stabilize the unstable configurations. Second, the behavior of the feasible sardine-anchovy model configurations was examined when fishing was removed from the models. Finally, model configurations were identified that best represent the sardine-anchovy system in terms of predicting qualitative changes in the system variables. These best models define the crucial interactions between sardines and anchovies that require further studies. Based on the results of the literature review and the loop analysis a set of questions was developed and used in interviews with fishers in Oman to investigate whether the sardines and anchovies in Oman are inversely related. Based on the survey results and lessons learned from the literature review and loop analysis, recommendations were developed for further research and management of the fisheries in Oman for sardines and anchovies. In systems where the sardines and anchovies vary inversely in abundance refuge areas for the sardines and anchovies are very important for maintaining the two fish stocks and their cyclic behavior. The results from the loop analysis suggested that interactions between sardines and anchovies (e.g., competition and amensalism) are not important provided the two fish populations can regulate themselves by means of their refuge areas. The expansion and contraction of sardines and anchovies is a function of environment suitability and long-term shifts in the environmental regime. The study found no evidence that sardines and anchovies in Oman are inversely related

FIGURE 15 in Species diversity deflation: Insight into taxonomic validity of Garra species (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Dhofar Region in the Arabian Peninsula using an integrated morpho-molecular approach

FIGURE 15. Embedded scales on breast of Garra sindhae and G. smartae.Published as part of Sayyadzadeh, Golnaz, Al Jufaili, Saud M. & Esmaeili, Hamid Reza, 2023, Species diversity deflation: Insight into taxonomic validity of Garra species (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Dhofar Region in the Arabian Peninsula using an integrated morpho-molecular approach, pp. 333-350 in Zootaxa 5230 (3) on page 345, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5230.3.4, http://zenodo.org/record/756144

FIGURE 6 in Species diversity deflation: Insight into taxonomic validity of Garra species (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Dhofar Region in the Arabian Peninsula using an integrated morpho-molecular approach

FIGURE 6. Live specimen of Garra sindhae from Wadi Andhur, Dhofar, Oman.Published as part of Sayyadzadeh, Golnaz, Al Jufaili, Saud M. & Esmaeili, Hamid Reza, 2023, Species diversity deflation: Insight into taxonomic validity of Garra species (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Dhofar Region in the Arabian Peninsula using an integrated morpho-molecular approach, pp. 333-350 in Zootaxa 5230 (3) on page 341, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5230.3.4, http://zenodo.org/record/756144

Oxyurichthys omanensis sp. nov., a new Eyebrow Goby (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Oman

Zarei, Fatah, Al Jufaili, Saud M., Esmaeili, Hamid Reza (2022): Oxyurichthys omanensis sp. nov., a new Eyebrow Goby (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Oman. Zootaxa 5182 (4): 361-376, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5182.4.

FIGURE 4 in Species diversity deflation: Insight into taxonomic validity of Garra species (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Dhofar Region in the Arabian Peninsula using an integrated morpho-molecular approach

FIGURE 4. Garra sindhae; a, ZM-CBSU O.17Gi102, 69 mm SL; b, ZM-CBSU O.17Gi107, 56 mm SL; c, ZM-CBSU O.17Gi113, 50 mm SL; Oman: Wadi Andhur.Published as part of Sayyadzadeh, Golnaz, Al Jufaili, Saud M. & Esmaeili, Hamid Reza, 2023, Species diversity deflation: Insight into taxonomic validity of Garra species (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Dhofar Region in the Arabian Peninsula using an integrated morpho-molecular approach, pp. 333-350 in Zootaxa 5230 (3) on page 340, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5230.3.4, http://zenodo.org/record/756144