ANNUAL CHANGES IN SERUM-CALCIUM AND INORGANIC-PHOSPHATE LEVELS AND CORRELATION WITH GONADAL STATUS OF A FRESH-WATER MURREL, CHANNA-PUNCTATUS (BLOCH)

Adult Channa punctatus murrels of both sexes (60-80 g) were collected locally from Ramgarh Lake during the second week or every month (10 in dividuals of each sex/month) throughout the year. Blood samples were c ollected and analyzed for serum calcium and phosphate levels by the me thods of Trinder (1960) and Fiske and Subbarow (1925), respectively. G onads were fixed to judge the state of maturation of the fish. Males e xhibited no change in serum calcium levels throughout the year in corr elation with testicular maturation, However, serum phosphate levels ex hibited a rise in correlation with the increased gonadosomatic index. Females showed marked seasonal changes in serum calcium and phosphate levels which were associated with ovarian maturation (vitellogenesis).