Comparative Analysis of Morphometric and Meristic Characters in Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758), Nile Tilapia across Diverse Ecological Zones in Nigeria

The present study investigated the comparative analysis of morphometric and meristic characteristics in Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) from six lakes in different ecological zones across Nigeria. A total of 347 samples were collected. Twenty-nine morphometric characters were measured to the nearest 0.01 cm using Vernier calipers and nine meristic characters were counted in all the collected individuals. The results of the univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that all observed morphometric and meristic characters were significantly different (P=0.05) across the study sites. Notably, O. niloticus from Asejire Lake had significantly higher values in all the morphometric characters. The multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) identified three morphometric and four meristic characters as the most discriminating traits among the studied populations. These findings align with previous research highlighting the utility of morphometric and meristic data in delineating fish populations based on habitat differences and genetic compositions. Significant differences in head-related (head length), swimming-related (anal fin length and caudal peduncle length), and feeding-related (both left and right gill raker) measurements further underscored environmental influences on morphological variation. The study suggests that ecological factors such as food availability and environmental conditions contribute to the observed variations. This research provides valuable insights into the population dynamics and adaptation strategies of O. niloticus in diverse aquatic environments across Nigeria