ANATOMY OF NILEM FISH (Osteochilus vittatus) AND

CATFISH (Clarias gariepinus)

By :
Name : Isnaeni Rachmawati
Student ID : B1B017036
Group : VI
Subgroup :3
Assistant : Dyah Retno Annisa

PRACTICAL REPORT OF ANIMAL STRUCTURE

MINISTRY OF RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY AND HIGHER EDUCATION

JENDERAL SOEDIRMAN UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF BIOLOGY
PURWOKERTO
2018
 I. INTRODUCTION

A. Background
Fish is a vertebrate member of poikilothermic (cold-blooded) that live in
water and breathe through gills. The fish is a vertebrate group that most diverse
with the number of over 27.000 species worldwide. Fish come in different size,
ranging from whales, sharks measuring up to 14 meters, infant fish stout that
measures just 7 mm (approximately ¼ inch). There are several aquatic animals
that are often regarded as “fish” such as whales, squid and dugongs, which is not
classified as a fish (Radiopoetro, 1991).
The fish can adjust their body temperature heat with their water
temperature surroundings, that is known as cold-blooded animals. Based on the
types of its respiratory organs of fish can be divided into two types f fish that
breathe using gills and the fish that breathe by using lungs. Fish use gills to breathe
by taking in oxygen in the water. Fish that breathe using lungs at the time of
reduced oxygen levels in the body will do a jump above the water surface to take
in air-free. Carbon dioxide is produced by fish as a result of excretion which is
then used by plants to make starch (Kodri, 2004).
This lab activity used Nilem Fish (Osteochillus vittatus) and Catfish
(Clarias gariepinus) as objects, to represent species of the Pisces class. Both fishes
were chosen because they have the complete clear organs, making it easier for the
practitioner to do observations, both inside and outside the organ (Villee, 1988).

B. Purpose

The purpose of this practical class is to observe the morphology and anatomy
of Nilem Fish (Osteochillus vittatus) and Catfish (Clarias gariepinus).
 II. MATERIAL AND METHODS

A. Material
The materials that used in this practice are Nilem Fish (Ostheocilus
vittatus) and Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and water
The tools that used in this practice are tray for placing the preparations,
tweezers, dissecting scissors, and latex gloves.

B. Methods
The methods that used in this activity are:
1. Fish is stabbed by using scissors and the neck part is snapped using bare hands.
2. Fish is cutted carefully from the anus to the anterior direction along
medioventral body to the front of the pectoral fins using the dissecting scissors
so the organs aren’t damaged.
3. The upper parts of the flesh are opened by using a pair of tweezers.
4. The shearing continued towards the dorsal part of the body then continued to
the anterior to the gill cover, the dorsal and ventral to the muzzle, this section
is considered as the ventral side of the heart so that the gills shearing process
should be done with caution.
5. The anatomy of fish can be observed by pulling the parts of intestine with care,
little by little until it comes out of the body and shouldn’t be broken.

B. Discussion
 1. Nilem Fish
Nilem Fish (Osteochillus vittatus), according to Radiopoetro (1991), can be
classified as:
Phylum : Chordata
Subphylum : Vertebrata
Class : Actinopterygii
Division : Teleostei
Ordo : Cypriniformes
Family : Cyprinidae
Genus : Osteochillus
Species : Osteochillus vittatus
Nilem Fish (Osteochillus vittatus) is a kind of freshwater fish. Nilem Fish lives
in shallow areas with currents that are not so heavy as a lake or river. This fish is easy
to breed according to the rules of running water. This fish is herbivore (Sumanta,
1981).
The digestive system starts from short esophagus, because almost all the mouth
cavity goes directly to the kidney or intestine ventriculus that curved like the letter U,
and can be differentiate into two parts, are the wide one pars cardiaca and the narrow
one pars pylorica. In this class, the digestive system is really coiled and almost filled
with the mouth cavity and end up in anus. Hepar consist of two loves, vesica felea
from hepar goes to ductus hepaticus and then join with ductus cysticus become ductus
choleodochus and end up in duodenum. Also the one that connect peritoneum ro tundus
ventriculi. Osteochillus vittatuts has combined hepar and pancreas that is called
hepatopancreas (Radiopoetro, 1989).
Gills as a respirator for Osteochillus vittatus each blade consists of a sheet of
filaments. Each filament is composed of many plants transverse wrapped by a layer of
epithelium that contains capillaries is between afferent branchialis and efferent
branchialis (gill arch) and on its borders there is a comb spines which serves to hold
the food and hard objects others pass through gill sits on when breathing (Jasin, 1989).
Males and females can be distinguished by means of massaging the abdomen
toward the anus. The males will emit a milky white liquid from the genital pore. The
female of ripe eggs are characterized by relatively large belly and soft when touched
(Jasin, 1989).
 Nilem Fish has urogenital organ consisting of ren, ureter, vesical urinaria, and
sinus urogenitalis. The ureter is the outlet of ren (kidney). Sinus urogenitalis empties
out through the urogenital pore contained caudal from the anus, cranial base of the
pinnae of the analis. Nilem Fish excretion tool in the form of a pair of reddish colored
kidney located between the front and rear air bubbles. Kidney is equipped with an
urinary tract estuary fused with sex and called the urogenital tract (Huet, 1971).
The main excretion organ of Nilem Fish starts from a pair of kidneys that
located on the middle section of swimming bladder next to dorsal and functioned for
production of urine before continued to ureter and heading to vesica urinaria as the
place for temporal urine saving. Urine will be ready to release from vesica urinaria
through urethra then ends up in porus urogenitalis that functioned for releasing the
reproductive cells as well. Nilem Fish lives in the freshwater that’s why it profuces
more urine in its osmoregulation system (Sukiya, 2005).
The observation of the anatomy of Nilem Fish (Osteochillus vittatus) showed
that the Nilem Fish’s body consists of caput that is starting from the snout to the level
of operculum, the fish truncus starts behind the operculum to the anus, while the cauda
starts behind the anus until the end of the pinnae analis. This is consistent with the
statement of Brotowidjoyo (1990), which states that the body of Nilem Fish can be
divided into three parts namely caput (head), truncus (body), and cauda (tail).
According to Farah et al (2016), hard plates covering fish body of scales, do
not only serves as external protection , but are also important as one of the tools species
for identification. Scale type and radii arrangement at the anterior field are two
significant morphological features that could distinguish between Cyprinidae, and
other families. Main characters used to identify scales at species level are radii cover,
structure of inter radial tongue, and radii arrangement. Fish scales are easy to
distinguish, non-destructive and undigested by mammals’ digestive system, and
because of that they can be very useful to provide taxonomic information which can
be used to distinguish different species.

B. Catfish
Catfish (Clarias gariepinus), can be classified into (Djuhanda, 1984):
Phylum : Chordata
Subphylum : Vertebrata
Class : Pisces
Subclass : Teleostei
Ordo : Ostariophysi
Family : Clariidae
Genus : Clarias
Species : Clarias gariepinnus
Catfish (Clarias gariepinnus) is a vertebrate that belongs to the class of Pisces
because their habitat in the freshwater and is a family of Clariidae. Catfish body
comprising three parts: caput, truncus, and cauda. Where the caput begins from the
tip of the snout to the gill cover boundary, the truncus starts behind the gill cover to
the anus and cauda starts behind the anus to the tip of the tail fin (Simajuntak, 1989).
The observations in anatomy of Catfish got that at the head have parts that are
organon visus (eye), cavum oris (mouth), the curve of the nose and five whiskers or
barbels that serves as the sense of touch when there is stimulation and when seeking
food. Catfish’s head is flat-shaped, symmetrical and the back of the head is blackish
brown, wide mouth and no teeth, round and flattened parts of the body towards the tail
and pick the shaft. Head of Catfish are gills as the breathing apparatus that arborescent
organ in the form of a thin skin resembles a sponge. Given this additional breathing
apparatus Catfish can live in water with conditions of low oxygen level (Jasin, 1989).
The body of Catfish do not have scales, but have slimy skin and black pigments
that can be turned to pale when exposed to sunlight. It is also a tool in the form of
balance of the lateral line (linea lateralis) in the middle of the side truncus. Catfish
have a dorsal fin and anal fin that extends to the base of the tail but did not merge with
tail fins, having weapons of patil or spurs to protect themselves from attack or threat
of external harm, the maximum length of 400 mm. Catfish have a dorsal fin (pinna
dorsalis), the anal fin (pinna analis), and caudal fin (pinna caudalis) called tail
unpaired. The pectoral fins (pinna pectoralis) and pelvic fins (pinna abdominalis)
called paired fins. Catfish do not have a swim bladder (vesica metatoria) which is a
tool of balance up and down in the water, this is because Catfish more often was towing
water slurry (Jasin, 1989).
Digestion is a process that is ongoing. Starting after taking food and ending
with the disposal of food waste. The digestive system of Catfish started from the
mouth, oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, pylorus, colon, rectum, and anus.
Catfish mouth anatomical structure closely related to get food. There are Catfish
whiskers around the mouth that act as a tentacle or detection of food and is found in
fish actively feed at night (nocturnal). The oral cavity in Catfish wrapped by mucus-
producing cells also a taster organ whose function is to select food. Pharynx in fish
serves to filter food intake, because the pharyngeal gill leads to non-food material will
be removed through the gill slits (Djuhanda, 1984).
Respiratory system of Catfish is composed of gills located on the left and right
sides of the head. According to Brotowidjoyo (1990), Catfish has a breathing apparatus
called arborescent which is a membrane that folds filled with blood capillaries. This
tool is located in the net room over the gills. In the history of Catfish should take in
oxygen from the air directly, for that it would swell the water surface. Therefore, if the
pond, there is a lot of fish hyacinth is powerless.
The excretion system in Catfish composed of kidneys as the main organ. Urine
produced will be transferred through ureter. Ureter gather around in the vesical
urinara or urine sac and from there urine will be released through urethra and again
ends up in porus urogenitalis (Radiopoetro, 1989).
Catfish reproductive system in male and female is clearly different. In male
Catfish can be found a pair of testes looked like red clasper and the genitals which
serves to facilitate the sperm out of the body. In female Catfish there is an ovary that
contains the egg granules which will be issued when the time to reproduce. Catfish
perform external fertilization, so the male fish fertilize the egg outside the female’s
body. Differences between males and females are at Catfish genitals are located near
the anus, brightly colored and tapered (clasper), while the female genitalia appear to
be rounded (Huet, 1971).
According to Okoye et al. (2016), testicular morphology and sperm motility
were evaluated in cultured Clarias gariepinus. The result showed that the testes were
paired, elongated, dorso-ventrally flattened structures, situated in the caudal aspects
of the body cavity. The mean length of both right and left testes increased linearly
with age, being significantly higher at 6 months than at 4 and 5 months of age. The
result obtained indicate that the morphology of the testes of Clarias gariepinus reach
maturity and production of motile spermatozoa may be achieved at 6 months age of
Catfish.
 IV. CONCLUSION

Based on the result can be concluded that the morphology of Nilem

Fish (Osteochillus vittatus) and Catfish (Clarias gariepinus ) consists of head
(caput), body (truncus), and tail (cauda). Digestive system starts from the
mouth, the very short esophagus, to gastrum, intestine, and anus. The
respiratory system of Nilem Fish and Catfish used gills as the main organ, and
for Catfish there’s arborescent as additional respiratory organ. As for the
urogenitalia system of both fishes are having a pair of testes for male and ovary
for female. And also the excretory system composed of kidney, ureter, vesica
urinaria, urethra, and porus urogenitalis.
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