Abstract:To assess the correlation between the main morphological traits and body weight of Siniperca chuatsi as well as the morphological differences between males and females, 2837 S. chuatsi individuals from the same farm pond were used to measure seven growth-related morphological traits including total length, body height, head length, eye diameter, caudal peduncle length, caudal peduncle depth, and body weight. Correlation analysis, path analysis, and multivariate linear regression analysis were used to analyze the correlation between morphological traits and body weight. A total of 150 males and 150 females were randomly selected to establish multiple regression equations, and 120 individuals were used for gender verification. The results showed the correlation coefficients of body weight to total length and body height are the highest among all the morphological traits. The established regression equations and partial regression coefficient tests indicated no significant correlation of head length or caudal peduncle depth to body weight, which were excluded for further analysis. Path analysis revealed the largest direct effect of total length and body height upon body weight, which was greater than their indirect effect. The highest determinant coefficients of single and pairwise traits to body weight were total length and body height in both single trait determination and pairwise determination. The determination coefficient (∑d) of the four traits was 0.896, suggesting a greater correlation for the four traits to body weight and a higher reference value for the fitted multiple regression equation. A regression equation for the gender was established. Verification results indicated that higher verification accuracy of gender was obtained for individuals with body weight less than 200 g. This study provides an essential reference for determining the evaluation indices for the morphological growth traits of S. chuatsi, and would facilitate the breeding selection.
