Morphometric and meristic study of five freshwater fishes available in the hygienic fish market at Dhurwa, Ranchi, Jharkhand

Morphometric and meristic traits remain indispensable tools for species identification, population discrimination, and understanding intraspecific variability among freshwater fishes. The present study investigates the morphometric and meristic characteristics of five freshwater fish species Lepidocephalichthys guntea, Mystus tengara, Amblypharyngodon mola, Puntius sophore, and Chanda nama, collected from the hygienic fish market at Dhurwa, Ranchi, Jharkhand. A total of 25 morphometric and 5 meristic characters were measured and analyzed. Regression and correlation analyses were conducted to determine interspecific relationships between total length and other body parameters. The results revealed a strong positive correlation (R² > 0.85) in most characters, indicating proportional growth among the studied species. P. sophore showed the highest morphometric consistency (R² = 0.98 for standard length), while L. guntea exhibited greater morphological plasticity. Significant interspecific variation (p