Skip to main content
Articles | Tropical Environment, Biology, and Technology | Volume 3 - Issue 1 - 2025 | 1-10 | https://doi.org/10.53623/tebt.v3i1.615
© 2025 by the author(s), and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License

Diversity of Clupeidae (Cuvier, 1816) in the New Calabar River, Rivers State, Nigeria

Author(s): Henry Eyina Dienye ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6254-9179 , Olaniyi Alaba Olopade ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9550-2956 , Sunday Pretty
Author(s) information:
Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Agriculture University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Corresponding author

Tropical Environment, Biology, and Technology

Volume 3 - Issue 1 - 2025

 About the journal
Submit your article

The study examined the diversity of Clupeidae species in the New Calabar River, Rivers State, Nigeria. Fish samples were collected monthly between May and October 2024 with the assistance of fishermen using various fishing gear. A total of 155 individuals belonging to the Clupeidae family were recovered and identified. Several ecological indices were applied to analyze species abundance and diversity. Five species were recorded: Pellonula leonensis, Ethmalosa fimbriata, Ilisha africana, Sardinella maderensis, and Sardinella aurita. The most abundant species was Sardinella maderensis (49.03%), followed by Ilisha africana (16.77%), while Ethmalosa fimbriata showed the lowest abundance (5.16%). The Simpson’s index peaked in September (0.73) and was lowest in August (0.08). Dominance was highest in August (0.92) and lowest in September (0.27). The Shannon-Wiener index reached its highest value in September (1.45), indicating a highly diverse community, and the lowest in August (0.19). The evenness index was highest in October (0.91) and lowest in August (0.61). Margalef’s index was highest in September (1.91) and lowest in August (0.31), suggesting reduced richness and fewer species relative to the number of individuals during that month. The diversity indices indicate that the family Clupeidae is fairly distributed in the study area. It is therefore recommended that further research be conducted to provide a comprehensive understanding of the biology and ecology of Clupeidae in the New Calabar River.

Read Full-Text
Previous article
Next article

Otekenari, D.E. (2023). Fish association dynamics in three clear water and black water river systems in eastern and delta of Nigeria. Journal of Advances in Biology and Biotechnology, 4(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.9734/JABB/2015/18320.

Niesenbaum, R.A. (2019). The Integration of Conservation, Biodiversity, and Sustainability. Sustainability, 11, 4676. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11174676.

Ekpo, F.E.; Asuquo, M.E.; Akpabio, J. (2011). Conserving biological diversity for sustainable uses in tropical rainforest of Nigeria. Journal of Environmental Issues and Agriculture in Developing Countries, 3(1), 102–109.

Dienye, H.E.; Olopade, O.A.; Toby, S.A. (2018). Species composition and diversity of cast net fisheries in New Calabar River, Niger Delta, Nigeria. Journal of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Bioresource Management, 4(1), 19–26. http://doi.org/10.3329/jbcbm.v4i1.37873.

Amaeze, N.H.; Onyema, I.C. (2014). The use of planktons as tools for monitoring water quality in oil polluted streams of the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Toxicology and Environmental Health Sciences, 6(9), 181–193. http://doi.org/10.5897/JTEHS2014.0320.

Asuquo, I.E. (2016). Aspects of the biology of the “near threatened” reed fish, Erpetoichthys calabaricus, Pisces: Polypteridae, Smith, 1886 in a Nigerian creek. M.Sc. Thesis, Post Graduate School, University of Uyo, Nigeria.

Clupeoid fishes of the world: An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the herrings, sardines, pilchards, sprats, anchovies and wolf-herrings. (accessed on 1 April 2024) Available online: https://www.fao.org/4/ac482e/ac482e00.pdf.

Olopade, O.A.; Dienye, H.E.; Jimba, B.; Bamidele, N.A.; Taiwo, I.O. (2018). Length–weight relationship and condition factor of Guinean Tilapia Coptodon guineensis (Günther, 1862) from the New Calabar River and Buguma Creek, Nigeria. Punjab University Journal of Zoology, 33, 42–46. http:dx.doi.org/10.17582/pujz/2018.33.1.42.46.

Dienye, H.E.; Olopade, O.A.; Ichendu, C. (2022). Growth, mortality and exploitation rate of round Sardinella (Sardinella aurita, Valenciennes, 1847) in the New Calabar River, Niger Delta, Nigeria. COMU Journal of Marine Science and Fisheries, 5(1), 39–47. http://doi.org/10.46384/jmsf.1054288

Adesulu, E.A.; Sydenham, D.H.J. (2007). The fresh water and fisheries of Nigeria; Macmillan Nigeria Publishers: Lagos, Nigeria; pp. 397.

Tobias, M.; Gert, B.; Jos, S. (2021). Identification guide to the Clupeiformes of the inland waters of Africa; Royal Museum for Central Africa: Tervuren, Belgium.

Clupeidae. (accessed on 1 April 2024) Available online: https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Clupeidae.

Shannon, C.E.; Weaver, W. (1963). The mathematical theory of communication; University of Illinois Press: Urbana, USA; pp. 117.

Pielou, E.C. (1969). Mathematical Ecology; John Wiley & Sons: New York, USA; pp. 385.

Mumthaz, M.; Poovoli, A. (2024). A ground approach in studies on the diversity of Clupeiform fishes (Order: Clupeiformes) on the Malabar Coast of Kerala, in Proceedings of the 3rd International Electronic Conference on Diversity, 15–17.

Olopade, O.A.; Dienye, H.E.; Oderhohwo, O.A. (2019). Fish species composition and size structure exploited by gill net fishery in the New Calabar River, Nigeria. Aquatic Science Journal, 6(1), 1–6. http://doi.org/10.29103/aa.v6i1.1257

Nelson, J.S.; Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the world, 5th ed.; John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, USA; pp. 707. http://doi.org/10.1002/9781119174844

Van Dyke, F. (2002). Conservation biology: foundations, concepts, applications; McGraw-Hill Companies: New York, USA.

Olopade, O.A.; Rufai, P.O. (2014). Composition, abundance and diversity of the family Cichlidae in Oyan Dam, Ogun State, Nigeria. Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, 15(2), 195–199. http://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d150211.

Galib, S.M.; Naser, S.M.A.; Mohsin, A.B.M.; Chaki, N.; Fashad, F.H. (2013). Fish diversity of the River Choto Jumuna, Bangladesh: Present status and conservation need. International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation, 5(6), 389–395. http://doi.org/10.5897/IJBC2013.0552.

Stirling, G.; Wilsey, B. (2001). Empirical relationships between species richness, evenness, and proportional diversity. American Naturalist, 158, 286–299. https://doi.org/10.1086/321317.

Mokoginta, M.M. (2016). Tree species diversity at the protected forest of Mountain Masinggi, North Bolaang Mongondow, Indonesia. International Journal of Agriculture, 6(2), 69–73.

Ali, M.M.; Hossain, M.B.; Al-Masud, M.; Alam, M.A. (2015). Fish species availability and fishing gears used in the Ramnabad River, Southern Bangladesh. Asian Journal of Agricultural Research, 9(1), 12–22. http://doi.org/10.3923/ajar.2015.12.22.

Olopade, O.A.; Dienye, H.E.; Oderhohwo, O.A.; Nathanael, B. (2020). Catchability and diversity of fish species captured by gill net in New Calabar River, Nigeria. Indonesian Fisheries Research Journal, 26(2), 107–117. http://doi.org/10.15578/ifrj.26.2.2020.107-117.

Ibim, A.T.; Gogo, O.O.; Igbani, F. (2016). The ichthyofaunal assemblage of the lower and upper reaches of New Calabar River, Rivers State, Niger Delta, Nigeria. Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences, 6(9), 186–197.

Grando, C. (2000). Ecology of comunidades: the paradigm of freshwater pisces; University of Seville Secretariat Publications: Sevilla, Spain.

Lakra, W.S.; Sarkar, U.K.; Kumar, R.S.; Pandey, A.; Dubey, V.K. (2010). Fish biodiversity, habitat ecology and their conservation and management issues of a tropical river in the Ganga basin, India. Environmentalist, 30(4), 306–319. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10669-010-9277-6.

Wolter, C.; Minow, J.; Vilcinskas, A.; Grosch, U. (2000). Long-term effects of human influence on fish community structure and fisheries in Berlin water: an urban water system. Fisheries Management and Ecology, 7, 97–104. http://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2400.2000.00200.x.

Odioko, E.; Becer, Z.A. (2022). The Economic Analysis of The Nigerian Fisheries Sector: A Review. Journal of Anatolian Environmental and Animal Sciences, 7(2), 216–226. https://doi.org/10.35229/jaes.1008836.

Adewale, O. (1985). Judicial attitude to environmental hazards in the Nigerian oil industry: Proceedings of an international seminar on the petroleum industry and Nigeria’s environment, Port Harcourt, Nigeria; pp. 35–40.

Atobatele, O.E.; Ugwumba, O.A. (2011). Condition factor and diet of Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus and Chrysichthys auratus (Siluriformes: Bagridae) from Aiba Reservoir, Iwo, Nigeria. Revista de Biología Tropical, 59(3), 1233–1244. http://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v0i0.3394.

Read Full-Text
About this article

SUBMITTED: 02 March 2025
ACCEPTED: 14 April 2025
PUBLISHED: 7 May 2025
SUBMITTED to ACCEPTED: 43 days
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53623/tebt.v3i1.615

Cite this article
Dienye, H. E., Olopade, O. A. ., & Pretty, S. (2025). Diversity of Clupeidae (Cuvier, 1816) in the New Calabar River, Rivers State, Nigeria. Tropical Environment, Biology, and Technology, 3(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.53623/tebt.v3i1.615
Keywords
Abundance Distribution New Calabar river Clupeidae
Accessed
88
Citations
0
Share this article