Introduction to Rohu and its meristic characters

Rohu, scientifically known as Labeo rohita, is a freshwater fish species native to South Asia, particularly India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. It is a popular and economically significant fish in the region, prized for its delicious taste and nutritional value. Rohu is commonly used in various traditional dishes and is known for its firm texture and mild flavor. It's a staple ingredient in many regional cuisines and is often prepared by frying, grilling, or cooking in curries.

1. University of Chakwal, Pakistan

2. DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY
PRESENTED BY: MUHAMMAD. OBAID UR REHMAN
REG NO: 20M-UOC/ZOL-53
BS-ZOOLOGY
SESSION 2020 –2024
SUBJECT: ICTHYOLOGY
SUBMITTED TO: DR. SYEDA NADIA AHMAD
TOPIC: Labeorohita(Rohu)

3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction1 Taxonomic Classification
Distribution Interesting Facts & Importance
Morphology Behavior
Research Insights Conclusion
2
43
65
87
References9

4. INTRODUCTION
1

5. INTRODUCTION
Labeorohita, commonly known as Rohu, is a significant species in
aquaculture, particularly in South Asia, including India, Bangladesh,
Nepal, Myanmar, and Pakistan. This omnivorous fish belongs to the
carp family and is primarily found in freshwater rivers.

6. TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION
2

7. TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION
●Kingdom: Animalia
●Phylum: Chordata
●Class: Actinopterygii
●Order: Cypriniformes
●Family: Cyprinidae
●Genus: Labeo
●Species: Labeorohita
Fig: Labeorohita
https://assurantinnovations.com/torrymeter-validates-rohu-fish-
quality-tests-during-chilled-storage/

8. DISTRIBUTION
3
a)Geographical Range.
b)Aquaculture System.
c)Conservation Status.

9. a) Geographical Range:
•LabeoRohita,commonlyknownas
Rohu,isdistributedacrossSouth
Asia,primarilyincountriessuchas
India,Bangladesh,Nepal,
Myanmar,andPakistan(Darshan
etal.,2019).
•Itinhabitsfreshwaterriversandis
particularlyprevalentinriverine
ecosystemsthroughoutitsrange
(Mahamoodetal.,2021).
Fig: Geographical Range

10. b) Aquaculture System:
•Rohuisextensivelyutilizedinaquaculturesystems,
includingintensiveaquaculturesetups.
•Researchongrowthandproductionperformance
ofRohuinintensiveaquaculturesystemsprovides
insightsintoitsdistributionwithinaquaculture
facilities(Singh&Mehta,2022).

11. c) Conservation Status:
•WhileRohuisanimportantfoodfishandwidely
culturedincertainregions,itsconservationstatus
isnotexplicitlymentionedinthelatestresearch
articles.
•However,itssignificanceinaquaculture
underscorestheneedforsustainablemanagement
practicestoensureitscontinuedavailability
(Darshanetal.,2019).

12. INTERESTING FACTS AND IMPORTANCE OF Labeorohita
4
Labeorohita, commonly known as rohu, holds significant importance as a
candidate species in aquaculture, particularly in India & Pakistan. Here's an
overview of its importance based on recent research papers:

13. a) Aquaculture Significance:
•RohuisamajorspeciesinIndianaquaculture,
particularlyincarppolyculturesystems,
contributingsignificantlytothefoodsecurityand
economyoftheregion(Hamiltonetal.,2022).

14. b) Genetic Improvement:
•Researchhighlightstheimportanceofgenetically
improvedstrainsofrohutoenhanceitson-farm
performanceandsustainabilityinaquaculture
systems,indicatingongoingeffortstooptimizeits
traitsforbetterproductivity(Hamiltonetal.,
2022).

15. c) Feeding Ecology:
•Studiesshowthatrohuundergoeschangesinits
feedingstrategythroughoutitslifecycle,whichis
crucialtounderstandforoptimizingitsfeeding
practicesinaquaculture(Majumderetal.,2018).

16. d) Indicators of Water Quality:
•Recentresearchidentifiesrohuasabioindicator
forwaterqualityassessment,particularlyinrivers
liketheYamunainIndia,indicatingitsimportance
beyondaquacultureinenvironmentalmonitoring
(Mahamoodetal.,2021).

17. e) Economic Significance:
•Labeorohitaiseconomicallyimportantasa
popularfoodfish,withwidespreaddistributionand
introductionintovariousAsiancountriesfor
aquaculturepurposes(Darshanetal.,2019).
•Thesefactsunderlinethemultifacetedsignificance
ofrohuinaquaculture,genetics,ecology,and
socio-economiccontexts.

18. MORPHOLOGY
5

19. a) Scales:
•Rohuexhibitscycloidscales,whichare
characterizedbytheirsmoothandroundededges.
Thesescalesaretypicalofmostteleostfish
species,providingprotectionandaidingin
hydrodynamics.
Fig: Cycloid Scale
https://fishbase.mnhn.fr/glossary/Glossary.php?q=cycloid

20. b) Fins:
•Ithasseveralfins,includingdorsal,pectoral,pelvic,
anal,andcaudalfins.Thedorsalfinislocatedon
thebackofthefishandhelpsinstabilityand
maneuvering.Pectoralandpelvicfinsaidin
steeringandbalance.Theanalfinassistsin
directionalcontrol,whilethecaudalfin,alsoknown
asthetailfin,providespropulsion.
Fig: Fins of Labeorohita
https://www.notesonzoology.com/phylum-chordata/rohu-fish/external-morphology-of-rohu-
fish-with-diagram-chordata-zoology/7612

21. c) Mouth:
•Rohuhasaterminalmouth,meaningitis
positionedatthefrontoftheheadandopens
outward.Thistypeofmouthmorphologyindicates
ageneralizedfeedingbehavior,allowingrohuto
feedonavarietyoffooditemsfromthewater.
Fig: Terminal Mouth
https://jb004.k12.sd.us/MY%20WEBSIT
E%20INFO/BIOLOGY%202/ANIMAL%20
KINGDOM/PERCH%20DISSECTION/OL%
20PERCH%20DISSECTION.htm

22. BEHAVIOR
6
a)Parental Behavior.
b)Migratory Behavior.

23. a) Parental Behavior:
•RecentresearchindicatesthatLabeorohita,
commonlyknownasRohu,exhibitsparentalcare
behaviorduringbreeding.Bothmaleandfemale
Rohuareinvolvedinnestconstructionand
guardingtheeggsafterspawning.ThemaleRohu
playsasignificantroleinbuildingthenestand
defendingitfrompredators,whilethefemalelays
eggsinthenestandassistsinnestmaintenance.
Thiscooperativeparentalcareenhancesthe
survivalchancesoftheoffspring(Adnan,2023).

24. b) Migratory Behavior:
•Labeorohitaexhibitsremarkableupstream
migratorybehavior,defyingthestream'sflow
duringcertainphasesofitslifecycle.Thisspecies
undertakesextraordinaryjourneysagainstthe
current,whichhasfascinatedresearchers.Studies
haveexploredthescientificinsightsintothe
mechanismsandmotivationsdrivingthisupstream
migration.Understandingthesemigratory
behaviorsiscrucialfortheconservationand
managementofRohupopulations(Adnan,2023).

25. RECENT RESEARCH INSIGHTS
7

26. •Arecentstudyfocusedontheon-farm
performanceofgeneticallyimprovedRohustrains,
highlightingitsglobalaquaculturesignificanceand
theincreasinginterestingeneticallyenhanced
varieties(Hamiltonetal.,2022).
RECENT RESEARCH INSIGHTS

27. CONCLUSION
8

28. •Labeorohita,commonlyknownasRohu,playsavitalroleinaquaculture,
particularlyinSouthAsia,whereitisextensivelyculturedincountrieslike
India,Bangladesh,Nepal,Myanmar,andPakistan.Recentresearchemphasizes
itssignificanceinaquaculturesystems.
•Moreover,studiesunderscoreitseconomicimportanceasamajorfoodfish,
itsroleasabioindicatorforwaterqualityassessment,andongoingeffortsin
geneticimprovementtoenhanceitson-farmperformance.
•Understandingitsmorphologicalcharacteristics,parentalbehavior,and
migratorypatternscontributestoconservationandmanagementstrategies
forthisspecies.
•Overall,Labeorohitaremainsamultifacetedspecieswithecological,
economic,andsocio-culturalsignificanceintheregion'saquaculturelandscape
COCLUSION

29. REFERENCES
9

30. •Darshan,A.,Abujam,S.,&Das,D.N.(2019).Systematicaccount.InElseviereBooks(pp.25–254).
https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-815556-1.00004-2
•Mahamood,M.,Javed,M.,Alhewairini,S.S.,Zahir,F.,Sah,A.K.,&Ahmad,M.(2021).Labeorohita,a
bioindicatorforwaterqualityandassociatedbiomarkersofheavymetaltoxicity.NpjCleanWater,4(1).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-021-00107-4
•Singh,O.P.,&Mehta,R.K.(2022).ASSESSMENTOFCURRENTCOMPETENCYLEVELOFAGRICULTURAL
EXTENSIONADVISORSINFEDERALNEPAL.InternationalJournalofBiologicalInnovations,04(01),227–236.
https://doi.org/10.46505/ijbi.2022.4125
•Majumder,S.,Majumdar,N.,Ghosh,P.,Saikia,S.K.,&Saha,S.K.(2018).RohuLabeorohita(Hamilton,1822)
changesfeedingstrategythroughoutitsontogenyAnexplanationfromfeedingecology.InternationalJournalof
ScientificResearchinBiologicalScience,5(4),92–96.https://doi.org/10.26438/ijsrbs/v5i4.9296
•Darshan,A.,Abujam,S.,&Das,D.N.(2019).Systematicaccount.InElseviereBooks(pp.25–254).
https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-815556-1.00004-2
•Adnan,M.(2023).LabeoRohita’sextraordinaryupstreammigration.
•ResearchGate.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376799205_Labeo_Rohita's_Extraordinary_Upstream_Migration
•Hamilton,M.,Yeasin,M.,Alam,M.S.,Ali,M.R.,Fakhruddin,M.,Islam,M.M.,Barman,B.,Shikuku,K.M.,
Shelley,C.,Rossignoli,C.,&Benzie,J.a.H.(2022).On-farmperformanceofgenetically-improvedrohu(Labeo
rohita)inBangladesh.FrontiersinAquaculture,1.https://doi.org/10.3389/faquc.2022.1060335
•Arifuzzaman,M.(2018).StudiesontheGrowthandProductionOfRohu(Labeorohita)inIntensiveAquaculture
SystemUsingFloating...ResearchGate.https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.25682.02245
REFERENCES