Weight ndash;length relation of an Asian catfish, Horabagrus brachysoma (G uuml;nther, 1864), (Siluriformes: Horabagridae) from rivers of the Western Ghats, Kerala, India

Background. The weight&ndash;length (W&ndash;L) relation was estimated for an endemic catfish, Horabagrus brachysoma (known also as Asian sun catfish, G&uuml;nther&rsquo;s catfish, Manjaletta, or Manjakoori). The fish were collected from the four major river systems of Kerala, part of the Western Ghats mountain range, between January 2005 and February 2006. The estimates for the parameter b of the W&ndash;L relation (W = aLb) ranged between 2.7623 and 3.17968. Linear regressions on log- transformed data were highly significant (P < 0.01) for the species in all the riverine habitats studied. Analysis of covariance revealed significant difference between sexes of H. brachysoma in the Chalakudy River for the slopes of the regression line.