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Copyright of Mesopotamian Journal of Marine Science is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Morphological asymmetry was analysed in two marine fish species Acanthopagrus arabicus and Planiliza klunzingeri, in brackish and freshwater habitats in southern Iraq. For both species, specimens from the Shatt al-Arab River and Shatt al-Basrah Canal exhibited greater asymmetry values for snout length. In both locations examined, the levels of asymmetry of the physical traits increased as the fish grew. The high levels of asymmetry in the two fish species may be linked to heavy metal pollutants in the two aquatic environments studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]