Length-weight relationship and morphometrics of Osmerus eperlanus populations from two lakes of northeastern Poland

Abstract

This study provides the length-weight relationship (LWR) of European smelt (Osmerus eperlanus) occurring in two lakes in northeastern Poland. The morphometric characters of the two populations of this species in lakes Dargin and Dejguny were also compared. The LWRs were highly significant (P < 0.05) with a high coefficient of determination (r² ≥ 0.923). The estimated b values ranged from 3.256 to 3.508. Sixteen of the 26 morphological characters measured differed between the two populations. No sexual dimorphism was observed. The research presents detailed data on the biometric characters of the species that contributes to the assessment of phenotypic plasticity and general morphological variation of the populations.