Studies were conducted on some aspects of the reproductive biology of Hyperopisus bebe occidentalis in Zaria dam. Fish were captured by using nets of various mesh sizes for 24 months. Sex ratio of female to male was 1:1.08. Fully matured gonads were observed from July to October (rainy season). Fish with spent gonads were found from December to February, virgin or immature gonads (stage I and II) were found in February to May, with the peak in March in female fish and January in male. The estimated fecundity ranged from 2025 to 4192 eggs per female with mean of 2822.4 ~c SD 781.43 eggs that had standard length range of 24.20cm to 35.50cm. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) ranged from 1.63% to 3.31%. There was a significant correlation (r = 0.873, p>0.05) between the weight of the fish and fecundity and insignificant correlation (r=0.497, p<0.05) between the standard length and fecundity

Onimisi, H.U.

Oniye, S.J.

Aquatic Commons

  
 
FSN-FB 0006 
ASPECTS OF THE REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY OF HYPEROPISUS BEBE  
 OCCIDENTALIS (GUNTHER) IN ZARIA DAM, NIGERIA 
   
    
1ONIYE, S. J. and 
2
H. U. ONIMISI 
1Department of Biological Sciences, 
2National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services, 
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. 
 
Copyright 2010, Fisheries Society of Nigeria. 
 
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 25
th
 Annual International 
Conference and Exhibition in Administrative Staff College of Nigeria 
(ASCON), Topo-Badagry, Lagos, Nigeria, 25
th
 – 29
th
 October, 2010. 
  
This paper was selected for presentation by an FISON Program Committee 
following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the 
author(s). Contents of the paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by 
the Fisheries Society of Nigeria and are subject to correction by the author(s). 
The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any position of the 
Fisheries Society of Nigeria, its officers, or members. Papers presented at 
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reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; 
illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous 
acknowledgement of where and by whom the paper was presented. Write 
Librarian, Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON), P. O. Box 2607 Apapa, 
Lagos. 
 
ABSTRACT 
Studies were conducted on some aspects of 
the reproductive biology of Hyperopisus 
bebe occidentalis in Zaria dam. Fish were 
captured by using nets of various mesh 
sizes for 24 months. Sex ratio of female to 
male was 1:1.08. Fully matured gonads 
were observed from July to October (rainy 
season). Fish with spent gonads were 
found from December to February, virgin 
or immature gonads (stage I and II) were 
found in February to May, with the peak in 
March in female fish and January in male 
.The estimated fecundity ranged from 2025 
to 4192 eggs per female with mean of 
2822.4 ± SD 781.43 eggs that had 
standard length range of 24.20cm to 
35.50cm. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) 
ranged from 1.63% to 3.31%. There was a 
significant correlation (r = 0.873, p>0.05) 
between the weight of the fish and 
fecundity and insignificant correlation 
(r=0.497, p<0.05) between the standard 
length and fecundity. 
Keywords: Reproductive biology, 
fecundity, gonadosomatic index, 
Hyperopisus bebe occidentalis, Zaria 
 
 
 
INTRODUCTION 
Reproductive strategies depend on the 
abiotic environment, food availability, 
presence of predators and the habitat of 
parental fish (Wootton, 1990).  Fecundity 
which is the number of ripe eggs in an 
ovary prior to spawning varies from one 
species to the other, and it is a function of 
body weight and or length. King (1997) 
studied weight-fecundity relationships of 
some Nigerian fish population and 
reported that as the body weight of fish 
increased, the number of eggs produced 
also increased, and opined that this was 
linked to the continuous  growth of fish 
after fecundity had stabilized. 
 Hyperopisus bebe occidentalis is widely 
distributed in rivers and lakes throughout 
Nigeria except Cross River basin (Reed et 
al., 1967; Olaosebikan and Raji,1998) and 
in catches of fishermen in Zaria dam. 
Published information on some aspect of 
the biology of H. b. occidentalis include 
those of Ipinjolu et al.(1996) in Goronyo 
dam, Sokoto, and Nwani and Ezenwagi 
(2006) in Anambra river, Oniye and 
Aken’Ova (2002a) on Rhadinorinchus 
horridus (Acanthocephala) of the 
gastrointestinal tracts, and Oniye et al 
(2002b) on the gill parasite of H. bebe 
occidentalis  in Zaria. Information on the 
reproductive biology of H. b. occidentalis 
in Zaria dam is not available, hence the 
subject of this study was to determine the 
seasonal variation in fecundity, 
gonadosomatic index  and fecundity 
length/ weight relationship of H. b. 
occidentalis in Zaria dam. 
 
 
 
254 Oniye, S. J. & Onimisi H. U. FISON EKO 2010 
 
ISSN: 1117-3149 PROCEEDINGS OF FISHERIES SOCIETY OF NIGERIA (FISON) ASCON, BADAGRY 25th-29th OCTOBER 2010 FSN-FB 0006 
MATERIALS AND METHODS 
A total of 793 samples of Hyperopisus 
bebe occidentalis were collected for 24 
months, with the aid of artisanal fishermen 
using cast and gill nets of various mesh 
sizes, from Zaria dam. The fish were 
transported in an insulated box containing 
ice to the laboratory of the Department of 
Biological Sciences, Ahmadu Bello 
University, Zaria, where the morphometric 
measurements were recorded. Sex of fish 
was determined by visual and microscopic 
examination of the gonads. The unsexed 
small fish were regarded as immature.  
Gonads were classified as described by 
Bagenal and Braun (1978).  Fecundity 
was estimated from fully matured ovaries 
stage (IV) (Ikomi and Odum, 1998; 
Ekanem, 2000). The ovaries were 
carefully excised from the body cavity of 
each fish and preserved in Gilson’s fluid. 
The preserved ovaries were rinsed 
carefully several times to get rid of the 
preservative and ovarian tissues. The eggs 
were then placed on filter paper to remove 
excess water then weighed using a Mettler 
balance (model P: 1210).  The fecundity 
estimates were obtained by weighing all 
eggs and then eggs in 1-gram subsamples 
were counted.  Counting was done for 
three random subsamples.  The mean 
number of eggs in the three subsamples 
gave the number of eggs per gram of 
weight. The relationship between 
fecundity and fish length/weight was 
described by the equation:  
F = aX
b 
Where F is fecundity, X is body length in 
centimeters or body weight in grams, b is 
the slope and a the intercept (Ekanem, 
2000).  Through a logarithmic 
transformation the equation becomes: 
 Log F = log a + b log X 
The maturity stages of the ovary were 
classified using the modified Kesteven’s 
scheme (Bagenal and Braun, 1978) as 
follows: 
Stage I: Immature, inactive 
Stage II:  Ripening,  
Stage III:   Maturing 
Stage IV:   Mature (Ripe)  
Stage V:  Spent  
The gonadosomatic index (GSI) 
was calculated for each gonad using the 
equation. 
GSI =  Gonad Weight (g) × 
100 
Fish Weight (g)  
 
RESULTS 
Male to female ratio in the sample was 
1:1.1. Fully mature gonads (stage IV) were 
from July to October. Fish with spent 
gonad was found in the months of 
December to February. Those with virgin 
or immature gonads (stage I and II) were 
obtained in February to May, with a peak 
in March in female fish (fig. I) and January 
in male (fig. II).The estimated fecundity 
ranged from 2025 to 4192 eggs per female 
with mean of 2822.4 ± SD 781.43 eggs 
that had standard length range of 24.20cm 
to 35.50cm. The relationship between 
fecundity and weight and fecundity and 
length are presented by the following 
equation Log F=3.3244+2.5459W and Log 
F=3.5239 + 0.3997L There was a 
significant correlation between the weight 
of the fish and fecundity (r = 0.873, 
p>0.05) and an insignificant correlation 
(r=0.497, p<0.05) between the standard 
length and fecundity. The gonadosomatic 
index (GSI) ranged from 1.63% to 3.31% 
with mean of 2.25% among the different 
sizes of fish (Table.1). 
 
 
255 Aspects Of The Reproductive Biology Of Hyperopisus Bebe Occidentalis (Gunther) In Zaria Dam, Nigeria FISON EKO 2010 
 
ISSN: 1117-3149 PROCEEDINGS OF FISHERIES SOCIETY OF NIGERIA (FISON) ASCON, BADAGRY 25th-29th OCTOBER 2010 FSN-FB 0006 
 
 
 
 
Fig. 1: Stages of gonads in female H.b occidentalis 
 
   
 
Fig. 2: Stages of gonads in male H.b occidentalis 
 
 
DISCUSSION 
There were more female than male H.b 
occidentalis in this study he observed 
male/female ratio of 1:1.1 was not 
significantly different (p>0.05) from the 
expected ratio of 1:1. The breeding season 
(the period when mature gonads were 
found), extended from June to October 
which coincide with the rainy season. 
Olatunde (1989) reported that most 
tropical fishes breed during the rainy 
season when physicochemical conditions 
of the aquatic environments are favorable. 
However some tropical fishes such as the 
croakers Pseudotolitus senegalensis and P 
typus off the coast of Lagos, and the 
cichlids, spawn throughout the year 
(Longhurst, 1964; Lowe-McConnell, 
1987; Anyanwu, 1990). The of H.b 
occidentalis found in this study ranged 
from (2025 to 4192) with an average of 
2822.4 eggs. Fawole (2002) reported an 
average fecundity of 2991eggs in 
Mormyrus rume of the Lekki Lagoon 
suggesting that the momyrids have low 
fecundity, however, these results are lower 
than the range of (7,130 to 73,000) 
recorded in Synodontis schall in Lake 
Kainji (Willoughby, 1974), but higher than 
(13 to 110) found in Epiplatys sexfasciatus 
in Adadu River, South-eastern Nigeria 
(Inyang and Anozie, 1987). There is an 
insignificant correlation(r=0.497, p<0.05) 
between the standard length and fecundity 
of H.b occidentalis, indicating that 
increase in fish length is not necessarily 
commensurate to increase in fecundity. 
Fagade and Adebisi (1979) and Ikomi and 
Odum (1998) made a similar observation 
in studies with Tilapia guineensis and 
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
N
u
m
b
e
r 
o
f 
fe
m
al
e
s
Time in months
I
II
III
IV
0
10
20
30
40
50
N
u
m
b
e
r 
o
f 
m
al
e
s
Time in months
I
II
III
IV
256 Oniye, S. J. & Onimisi H. U. FISON EKO 2010 
 
ISSN: 1117-3149 PROCEEDINGS OF FISHERIES SOCIETY OF NIGERIA (FISON) ASCON, BADAGRY 25th-29th OCTOBER 2010 FSN-FB 0006 
Chrysichthys auratus respectively. 
However, there is a significant correlation 
(r=0.873; p>0.05) between weight and 
fecundity which suggests that as the 
weight of the fish increase fecundity is 
also increasing. King (1997) also reported 
that, as the body weight of fish increased, 
the number of eggs produced per gram 
also increased and remarked that growth 
continues after fecundity had stabilized. 
The mean GSI value in this study show 
that the species uses 2.25% of its body 
weight for egg production, however, it 
fluctuates even among fish of similar 
sizes; similar result was also reported by 
Ikomi (1996) on the GSI values of the 
mormyrid Brienomyrus longianalis. 
In conclusion, fecundity of H. b. 
occidentalis may be considered as low in 
the specimens used in this study. Weight 
of the fish was more important to 
fecundity than its length. Further study 
using more gravid fish with heavier 
weight and length may elucidate fecundity 
of H. b. occidentalis. 
 
REFERENCES  
Anyanwu, A .O. (1990). Some aspects of 
the reproductive biology of the 
croakers,       Pseudotolithus 
senegalensis, (C&V) and P.typus 
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257 Aspects Of The Reproductive Biology Of Hyperopisus Bebe Occidentalis (Gunther) In Zaria Dam, Nigeria FISON EKO 2010 
 
ISSN: 1117-3149 PROCEEDINGS OF FISHERIES SOCIETY OF NIGERIA (FISON) ASCON, BADAGRY 25th-29th OCTOBER 2010 FSN-FB 0006 
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 Table 1: Fecundity and gonadosomatic index (GSI) of (10) matured ovaries of values of   H.b  occidentalis 
Standard length (cm)     Weight (g)                        GSI (%)                                      Fecundity 
24.2                                     133.0                                1.69                                           2025 
27.1                                     212.3                                1.75                                           2296 
27.8                                     223.3                                1.80                                           2213 
30.4                                     351.5                                2.51                                           4082 
31.2                                     240.0                                3.31                                           3357 
31.3                                     240.2                                1.98                                           2726 
31.5                                     220.0                                2.32                                           2532 
33.6                                     250                                   1.95                                           2318 
34.6                                     271.3                                2.20                                           2483 
35.5                                     375.2                                2.55                                           4192 
  
 
 
 


Aspects of reproductive biology of Hyperopisus bebe occidentalis (Gunther) in Zaria Dam, Nigeria

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Aspects of reproductive biology of Hyperopisus bebe occidentalis (Gunther) in Zaria Dam, Nigeria

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