Life history traits of the Barred spiny eel Macrognathus pancalus (Hamilton, 1822) in a wetland ecosystem

The Barred spiny eel Macrognathus pancalus (Hamilton, 1822), is a very popular and nutritious fish food in south Asia. Life history traits including LFD, growth types, conditions (KA, KF, KR), relative weight (WR), form factor (a3.0), sexual maturity (Lm), and natural mortality (MW) of Macrognathus pancalus were estimated from 484 specimens collected (January to December 2018) at Wetland ecosystem known as Gajner Beel, in northwestern Bangladesh through different types of local fishing gear. Biometric measurements (Lengths, Weight) were measured through digital slide calipers and electronic weight balance with 0.01 cm and 0.01 g precision. In our study total length ranged from 6.00-18.80 cm and body weight ranged from 0.53-27.56 g for M. pancalus. The growth pattern was indicated positive allometric based on the estimated b values for this species. Allometric condition factor (KA) was the best condition factor among other types of condition factors for the wellbeing of M. pancalus. The observed a3.0 was 0.0055,Lm was 11.16 cm TL, and MW was 0.79for M. pancalus Gajner Beel. Finally, we conclude that the finding of this research will be supportive of the sustainable conservation of M. pancalus in Bangladeshi and neighboring waters.