STOCK DISCRIMINATION OF CLEFTBELLY TREVALLY, ATROPUS ATROPOS (BLOCH AND SCHNEIDER, 1801) USING CONVENTIONAL MORPHOMETRIC TECHNIQUE FROM SOUTH KONKAN COAST OF MAHARASHTRA.

Stock discrimination study of Atropus atropus, commonly known as the Cleftbelly Trevally, found along the south Konkan coast of Maharashtra was done using the traditional method of Conventional morphometric analysis. The study was based on 90 individuals collected from Harnai, Ratnagiri, and Malvan areas of the South Konkan coast. A comprehensive examination of 17 traditional morphometric metrics was conducted, encompassing measurements such as Snout Length (SnL), Pre-Dorsal Length (PDL), Total Length (TL), Fork Length (FL), Standard Length (SL), Pre-Anal Length (PaL), Pre-Ventral Length (Pre-Pelvic Length) (PvL), Pre-Pectoral Length (PpL), Head Length (HL), Eye Diameter (ED), Head Depth (HD), 1st Dorsal Fin Base (1Dfb), 2nd Dorsal Fin Base (2Dfb), Body Depth (BD), Caudal Peduncle Depth (CPD), Anal Fin Base (AFB), and Post Orbital Distance (POD). Significant differences (p < 0.05) in six, five and eight conventional morphometric assessments led to the categorization of individuals from Harnai-Ratnagiri, Ratnagiri-Malvan and Harnai-Malvan into three distinct groups. Conventional morphometrics, which essentially encompass the entire body in a single direction, proved to be a reliable method for differentiating the A. atropus population in the South Konkan area into three separate stocks. Despite potential limitations in accurately delineating populations, the results suggest that the uniform coverage of the entire body by conventional morphometry establishes its efficacy in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]