Morphometry of the gill respiratory area in ruffe, Gymnocephalus cernuus (L.)

The structure of the gill respiratory surface area (GRSA) was analyzed in nine specimens of Gymnocephalus cernuus (L.) of different body weights. The observed GRSA values increased from 4638.46 mm² in the smallest specimen to 19522.8 mm² in the largest one. The allometric relationship of different gill components to body weight were estimated using the equation Y = aW^b. The calculated allometric relationship between GRSA and body weight is expressed with the equation: Y=1348.16W^0.687. The relationships between GRSA and body weight are statistically significant, the correlation coefficients are positive and significant (P < 0.01), and their values range from 0.95 to 0.99. The results obtained show that previously published GRSA values for ruffe were overestimated.