PIGMENT TRANSLOCATION DUE TO PYRENE TOXICITY IN CYPRINUS CARPIO AND CTENOPHARYNGODON IDELLAPoonam Sonwani and Sandhya BhartiAbstract Pyrene, a higher molecular weight PAHs compound commonly found in aquatic ecosystem and also used as an indicator of PAHs contamination in the monitoring of the wastes. Aquatic bodies are ultimately the sink of all types of wastes which led to severe deteriorating impacts on aquatic flora and fauna. Fish are highly sensitive to the aquatic pollution and show alteration in their behaviour and morphology, also used as bio indicator to the water pollution. Fish skin is directly expose to the surrounding, displaying many alterations such as lesion, loosening and thinning of scales, pigments mobility, higher mucus secretion etc. Therefore, the present study was carried out to investigate the toxicological impacts of pyrene on chromatophore in fish skin of fresh water fish Cyprinus carpio and Ctenopharyngodon idella. Fish were exposed to sublethal concentration (mg/l), i.e. 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 for 5, 10, 15 days. The number of melanophores were significantly different in C. carpio (P<0.05) while there were not significantly differences were observed in C. idella (P>0.05). The calculated mean diameter of melanophores from the treated group of C. idella were highly significant different (F=10.035, P<0.01) on the other hand no significantly differences were seen in calculated mean diameter of melanophores from the treated groups of C. carpio (F=1.161, P>0.01). On the basis of structures the melanophores were seen as punctate, stellate, puntostellate and reticulate. |