Length-weight relationship and relative condition of Heterobranchus longifilis (Valenciennes) from Idodo River, Nigeria

Length-weight relationship parameters of Heterobranchus longifilis males, females and combined sexes are given. The samples were collected from Idodo River, with size ranging from 123-mm total length, L, to 936 mm L. The values obtained for the mean L by sex show that males were significantly (p < 0.05) larger than females. The results show that the slope (b) is significantly (p < 0.05) below 3.0 for the male, female and pooled sample. The species exhibit a negative allometric growth pattern. The relative condition of fish shows seasonal variation, with females generally being in better condition than the males.