Morphometric and meristic characters of cultured and wild carp, Cyprinus carpio L., populations (southern Iraq)

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate morphological differences between cultured and wild common carp, Cyprinus carpio L. Wild specimens were collected from fishers operating in the waters of the Shatt al-Arab River, Basrah, Iraq, while cultured specimens were obtained from the Aquaculture Unit of the Marine Science Centre, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq. Significant changes were detected in all eight morphometric and three meristic characters measured and counted. Boxplots by habitat and variable showed high divergence between the populations. The meristic counts were also higher in the cultured population, and, ultimately, the two populations diverged.