International Science Community Association International Research Journal of Biological Sciences 2278 - 3202 5 11 2016 11 10 Morphometry and Length - Weight Relationship of Uranoscopus marmoratus Cuvier, 1829 (Family: Uranoscopidae) from Palk Bay, India 1 10 EN Surya S. 1 Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Mandapam Regional Centre, Mandapam Camp, Tamil Nadu, India Saravanan R. 2 Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Mandapam Regional Centre, Mandapam Camp, Tamil Nadu, India Nazar A.K. Abdul 3 Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Mandapam Regional Centre, Mandapam Camp, Tamil Nadu, India Padua Shelton 4 Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin, India Roul Subal Kumar 5 Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin, India GOP Ambarish P. 6 Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin, India > Research Paper 2016 9 28 2016 11 10 The study detailed the morphometry, meristic counts and length-weight relationship of Uranoscopus marmoratus along the coast of Pampan in Tamilnadu. Fish samples were examined having total length ranged from 172 to 301 mm with a coefficient of variation of 13.26%. The morphometric characters in the percentage of total length and head length showed a high value of correlation coefficient (r>0.84) and coefficient of determination (r2 >0.79) indicates that most of the characters exhibited a direct proportional growth to each other and a higher degree of homogeneity within the population. Between the ten morphometric characters in the percentage of head length, there were five genetically controlled, three intermediate and two environmentally controlled characters. In percentage of head length, one character was observed to be genetically controlled and the other three were environmentally controlled The fin formula of the fish can be written as D.I (4-5), II(11-12), P.13-16, V.5-7, A. 12-14, C. 12-15. The length-weight relationship of the fish is represented as Log W = -4.2655 + 2.8147 Log L for male, Log W = - 4.3705 + 2.8556 Log L for female and Log W = - 4.3236+2.837Log L for pooled one. The correlation coefficient (r) was estimated as 0.93, 0.96 and 0.94 (P< 0.001) for male, female and pooled one while the regression coefficient for all the three cases were less than 3.0 indicating the negative allometry of the fish. It was evident that, both male and females showed a disparity in growth pattern which was clearly depicted from the regression of male and female (P<0.05). The present study generated data on the morphometrics, meristics, and length – weight relationship of U. marmoratus captured from the South Eastern coast of India (Palkbay) and forms the first reference for the species worldwide. Copyright@ International Science Community Association