Report of spinal deformity (scoliosis) among remnant population of two-striped panchax, Epiplatys bifasciatus (Steindachner, 1881) in Kainji Lake Basin, Nigeria

Abstract

The occurrence of spinal deformity (scoliosis) among remnant population of two-striped panchax, Epiplatys bifasciatus (Steindachner 1881) was reported. A single specimen of E. bifasciatus with scoliosis was observed out of 2,544 specimens studied over a period of two years (2003 and 2004) in a small perturbed stream in Kainji Lake Basin, Nigeria. This is the first record of spinal deformity of E. bifasciatus with curvature of the spinal vertebrae from side to side in the wild.

Keywords: Epiplatys bifasciatus, nothobranchiid, spinal deformity, scoliosis, stream fish