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Taxonomic studies on the Brachyura larvae of the Persian Gulf are relatively few. Samples were collected monthly with a 300μ mesh size plankton net from coastal waters of Khuzestan (Northern Persian Gulf) during May 2007 to April 2008. The stage one zoea larva of 8 species Macrophthalmus depressus, Serenella leachii, Ilyoplax frater, Tylodiplax indica, Dotilla blanfordi, Dotilla sulcata, Uca annulipes and Scopimera crabricauda of Ocypodidae were illustrated and described in detail. Common morphological characteristics in identified species of Ocypodidae are dorsolateral processes on second and third abdominal segments and also two aesthetasc on antennules. Spatial and temporal variations in density of larval stages of Ocypodidae were studied. In warmer months Macrophthalmus depressus larvae (1264 ind/m3 in March, in other warm months (May, June, August and September 2007) M. depressus larvae with average of 97, 168, 87, 318 and 1264ind/m3, respectively were the dominant species agagin and Ilyoplax frater larvae (457ind/m3) in July 2007 were the dominant species. However, in colder months (November and February 2008), Camptandrium sp1 larvae was dominant with 76 ind/m3 and 56 ind/m3 for the two months, respectively. *Corresponding author

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This research was carried out to determine LC50 for Zataria multiflora essential oil in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fries at 96 hours. In the process, we used the static O.E.C.D method for 180 rainbow trout fries weighing 5±1 grams in five treatments and one control with three replicates. During the experiments, the mean (±SD) of water temperature was kept at 16±1 C, dissolved oxygen (DO) was 7±0.2mg/l and pH was 8±0.4. We used 5- 25ppm of the essential oil and the results were analyzed using probit analysis procedure. The LC50 96h of Zataria multiflora essential oil was determined as 13.6ppm for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fry. Based on the results, the useful maximum concentration of Zataria multiflora essential oil was less than 10ppm in rainbow trout fry. The results indicated a narrow therapeutic index for Zataria multiflore essential oil. *Corresponding

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In this study, the early development of Bunni (Barbus sharpeyi) larvae was surveyed through morphological changes and measuring total length, standard length, head length, thickness of larvae, eye diameter and snout length. The initial period of the larval life can be divided into 2 phases: endogenous and exogenous food sources. During the first three days of the larvae development, there was a gradual yolk sac reduction until its complete absorption at the end of third day, indicating the necessity of exogenous feeding. From the fourth to eleventh day, the final development of the heart, gill, air bladder, fins and intestine were observed. Total length of newly hatched larvae was 6.26mm and total length of fifteen days larvae was 8.35mm. The larval development of Barbus sharpeyi was similar to other Barbus species. *Corresponding author

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High mortality of beluga prelarvae (Huso huso) occurs in hatcheries and this appears to be linked to various abnormalities. Hence, this study was conducted to compare the body shape of alive and dead beluga prelarvae (5DPH) and to find the patterns of deformities among losses using geometric morphometric method. This method was applied to extract shape data as landmark’s Cartesian coordinates. Specimens were photographed using digital camera and the landmarks put on two-dimensional images using tpsDig2. Landmark data after GPA (Generalized Procrustes Analysis) analyzed using PCA and DFA. Results showed significant differences between alive and dead prelarvae shapes. In addition, various pattern of deformities found in the operculum, yolk sac and caudal peduncle parts. Future studies are suggested on larvae and juvenile stage.

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In order to establish a complete list of the hermit crab species in the southern coast of Iran and also determine some of their biological characteristics in the intertidal zones of Hormuz Island, a seasonal sampling collection was conducted in 6 intertidal stations during the years 2010–2011. The 542 collected samples were found to be Clibanarius signatus, which identified in the island. Comparing the samples with the metatypical hermit crab samples in the Zoological Museum, University of Tehran, verified the species. The one ways ANOVA with LSD test showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the abundance of the species in some stations, but seasonal changes did not significantly affect the abundance. Male-female sex ratio was 1/52 male: 1 female. Seasonal study of sexes (male, non-ovigerous female, ovigerous female) confirmed that species did not have a particular spawning season, nevertheless the spawning increased in summer. The shell selection behaviors showed that the hermit crab uses the shells of 36 gastropod species (24 genera) for protecting its abdominal section.

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The fish larvae identification survey was carried out in Iranian waters of Oman Sea from Hormuz strait to Gwader Bay in 2009 at pre and post monsoon periods. Sampling was done by plankton net with 300 μ mesh size. Totally, 168 specimens were collected that belong to the three genera Benthosema، Diaphus and Lampadena. Two species named Benthosema pterotum, B.fibulatum were identified. B.pterotum has pigment on the tip of the lower jaw and snout whereas B .fibulatum lacks these discriminative characters. Two genera Diaphus and Lampadena have a row of melanophores in post-anal region ventrally which discriminate them from Benthosema. Diaphus is separated from Lampadena with a small melanophore at the hypural.

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Growth rate and mortalities of tagged and untagged shrimps among six tanks, each 300 l consists of 30 untagged shrimps and 30 tagged shrimps were studied in two stations Bandargah and Delvar during 4 months from February to June 2012. Weights of 10 specimens were randomly measured. The mortality of two groups was evaluated by counting of remained shrimps of which the average of survival rate was 52.0% for tagged and 44.5% for untagged shrimps in Bandargah. The mortality rates among the Control and tagged group were 63 and 59%. The mortality for the examined groups was significantly different between two stations suggesting that management and environmental conditions were the most influencing factors on the mortality rates. The results of ANOVA showed no significant difference in the weight growth of tagged and control groups. The results of the present study showed that the injected elastomer tags did not effect on growth and mortality rates.

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Some biological aspects of Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi were studied in Shadegan Wetland, Iran. Monthly samples were collected from five stations: Doragh, Rogabe, Khorosy, Salmane and Atish. A total of 437 specimens were measured from April 2013 to March 2014. Mean (±SD) (Range) length values for the male and female were calculated as 252±28 (95-357), 249±38 (115-374)mm respectively and mean (±SD) (Range) weight values were 218±31 (18-366 ),239±39(15-651)g respectively. The length-weight relationships were calculated as W=0.000006L3.11 (R2=0.85) for male, W=0.000005L3.14 (R2= 0.86) for female. The spawning occurred from April to July, and length at maturity (LM), weight at maturity (WM) and production per biomass (P/B) were calculated for male and female as LM=208, 220 mm WM=97, 133 g and P/B= 0.53, 0.50 per year, respectively. *Corresponding author

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Big-scale sand smelt is one of the fishes with high ecological value, which consume by fishes such as sturgeon in the Caspian Sea. In this study, 191 samples of Big-scale sand smelt from southeast coast of the Caspian Sea were collected seasonally from December 2013 to September 2014. In the present study, food items and the relative index of gastrointestinal (RLG), stomach emptiness index (VI) and feeding intensity (IF) were determined. The fork length, weight and age (mean ±SD) were 7.70 ± 1.09 cm, 3.64 ± 1.49 g and 2.00 ± 0.81 year, respectively. This fish with a relative gastrointestinal tract length of 0.46 ± 0.06 (mean ± Standard Deviation) can be considered as a carnivorous fish. The average of empty stomach was 45% showing big-scale sand smelt is a relatively voracious feeder. The average intensity of feeding (mean± Standard Deviation) 535±221.21, as a moderate level for this fish in the region. Gammarus (benthos) and Daphnia (zooplankton) were the favored food for this fish. This study also showed opportunistic hunting activities of this fish.

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This study was conducted to evaluate the possible conservation of freshwater green algae using the freeze-drying and cryopreservation methods and comparative of their growth potential. Three experimental algae including Chlamydomonas moewusii, Scenedesmus obliquus, and Chlorococcum olefaciens were cultured for 20 days in 6 Erlenmeyer flasks after preparation of Zinder growth medium. Each algal strain was preserved according to freeze-drying and cryopreservation protocols with 9 replications (3 replications for the days of 1, 5, and 10). Algae were then re-incubated and their growth was evaluated in 1, 5, and 10 days after preservation. Another 9 Erlenmeyer flasks for each algal species were prepared as control treatment by adding the respective growth medium to consider the growth of algae in the same days with similar scale. Highest growth of all experimental algae was obtained after 10 days which was significantly higher than the corresponding control treatments (p<0.05). However, no significant difference was observed in the growth of Scenedesmus obliquus and and Chlorococcum olefaciens after freeze-drying and cryopreservation (p>0.05). Results of the present study illustrated that both preservative methods are suitable for maintenance of experimental algae, although freeze-drying provided better results in Chlamydomonas moewusii.

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Phytoplankton groups are very important producers in the Anzali wetland having a significant role in the quality and need to be constantly studied in term of their sequence and density. This survey was conducted at   6 stations between March 2011 and February 2012. According to the results, 67 different genera (22 Bacillariophyta, 26 Chlorophyta, 9 Cyanobacteria, 5 Cryptophyta, 1 Euglenophyta, 2 Chrysophyta, 1Dinoflgellata and 1 Xanthophyta) were identified. Most observed in Sorkhankol and Karkan stations with the annual average of 24.4±5.6 and 20.4± 5.4 cells/ liter respectively. The Bacillariophyta particularly Cyclotella was dominant in all of the stations, but high abundance of Cyanobacteria in Karkan station from July to mid-Octobercaused the annual average of this phylum to be more than Bacillariophyta. The highest and lowest phytoplankton abundances were observed in September and December, respectively.The number of phytoplankton genera and diversity in this study were less than previous studies. 

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This study aimed to determine and comparison of age composition, sex ratio, growth model, and fecundity of the populations of Rhodeus amarus in Sefidrood River and Siyahrood River. In total 423 fish were caught monthly from February to June 2013. In Sefidrood River, were abundant males (58.2%) than females (41.8%) and in Siyahrood River, females (59.4%) than males (40.6%) and it was different from standard ratio (1male:1female). The fishes in Siyahrood River have had 1+ till 8+ years old and in Sefidrood River 1+ till 9. The average of total length and body weight was 47.9±10.4 mm and 1.98±1.4g in Siyahrood River and 56.3±7.3 mm and 2.88±1.0 g in Sefidrood River, respectively and there were significant statistical differences between these parameters in both rivers(p<0.001). Growth model in two rivers was positive allometric.  The condition coefficient of males was higher than of females in both rivers(p<0.05). The absolute fecundity was evaluated 67.9±35.2 in Siyahrood River females and 78.8±33.1 in Sefidrood River females and significant statistical difference was observed in studied rivers. Absolute fecundity had significant correlation with fish total length and body weight. The results of this study will help to increase the information available about this species.

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Sexual dimorphism is a phenomenon among some fish species such as the members of the genus Aphanius. Among species with sexual dimorphism, morphological analysis needs to be performed separately. Hence, this investigation was carried out to determine suitable sex of Aphanius dispar for morphological studies. A total 180 specimens (male and female) were collected from populations of Sarbaz, Mehran and Shour rivers. Digital picture of speciments were taken from their left sides and then 17 landmark points cover their body shape were determined and digitized using tpsDig2 software. The data after GPA, were analyzed using PCA, CVA and MANOVA. The results revealed that studied population can be differitiated based on their body shap but between male and female of the Shour and Mehran rivers did not found significant different ib their separate analysis. Sexual dimorphism in the head and trunk seems to be a general feature in A. dispar. Based on the results in A. dispar, males can be suggested as proper sex for morphometric studies.

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Allometric growth pattern is a phenomena during early development of fishes. This research was conducted to study the allometric growth patterns of a hybrid triploid sturgeon (Acipenser baeri♂ x Huso huso♀) during early developmental stage up to 50 day post hatching (dph). Morphometric parameters of this study obtained from 2D pictures of specimens using the software ImageJ and allometric growth pattern was calculated as a power function of total length using non-transformed data: Y=ax^b. The results revealed that during early development of the triploid sturgeon after hatching, head and tail regions have positive allometric growth pattern that can be as result of importance vital functions, including swimming, respiration and sensory systems during this period. The inflexion points of the most body parts have been occurred prior 25dph and afterward their growth patterns were isometric. Despite the genetic difference between the hybrid triploid sturgeon with its parents, the results showed that its allometric growth patterns have many similarities with them. This results, also, provide evidence that the phenotypic plasticity plays important role in regulation of the body shape during early development.
 

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To determine the fecundity and population composition of Gammarus (Pontogammarus maeoticus (Gurianova,1951) ) in coast line of the Caspian Sea, monthly sampling was conducted in ten stationg (between Babolsar to Fereydunkenar) from August 2013 to April 2014.A total of 1906 P.maeoticus speciments, male populationcomposition (673), female (873) and immature (360), respectively. Kruskal-Wallis test based on the average number of Gammarus in stations (χ2 = 14.8; p<0.011) and months (χ2 = 17.6; p<0.040) showed  significant different. The average length of immature, male and female was 4.1, 8.5 and 8.3 mm and weight 0.0068, 0.0303 and 0.0282, respectively. Males have more weight and length than the female and the mean length and weight of the two sexes was statistically significant (length: t-test=2.05; p<0.041 Weight: t-test=2.81; p<0.005, respectively). Gammarus Length and weight equation was very strong based on exponential relationship (p<0.001; R²= 0.80) and slope of line b was 2.1205. The minimum average fecundity was 59/0±0/6 and a maximum of 71/0±4/16. Kruskal-Wallis test between the mean fecundity in different months showed a significant difference (p<0.001).The results show that the overall ratio of male: female was 77/0: 1 which showed completely dominant of females (p<0.001).Also compared the frequency of male and female at different months showed that only in  August and March females are dominant statistically (p<0.05).
 
 
 
 

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Carassobarbus loteus fish, one of the Barbus species and native to southwestern Iran, have been identified in the domestic water in the rivers and wetlands of Khuzestan Province. This study was performed characteristic reproductive biology of Carassobarbus luteus in Karun River. Monthly catches from February 2012 to April 2013 at three stations in Aqili desert- of Shushtar from the Khuzestan Province. 385 samples of Carassobarbus luteus were collected from the study area. In this study, length frequency of fish entire 161.57±23.89 mm and the weight frequency 63.8±35.46 gr. The highest and lowest levels of gonadal index for the month of February (10.629±5.638) and December (0.986±0.560), respectively. In this study was identified 183 males and 180 females and 22 Carassobarbus loteus undetected in Karun River. Average oocyte diameter in sexual stages was II, III, IV and V, 13.818, 15.091, 16.265 and 16.2 mm, respectively. Maximum diameter of fish eggs were observed in February (18.52 mm) and minimum diameter of oocytes in December (13.88 mm). Mean absolute fecundity of Carassobarbus luteus were calculated 5754.59±7 and the average relative fecundity of fishes 53.30±1.03. According to this research has been done upstream spawning season because of differences with other species Barbus can be geographic location length and weight of the fish. Also this species have two peaks of spawning in October and February, so the possibility of being asynchronous spawn.

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Knowledge of cryoprotectants toxicity is one of the prerequisites for the design of fish embryo cryopreservation protocols. In order to study the effects of cryoprotectants toxicity, common carp (Cyprinus carpio) embryos at half-epiboly and heartbeat stages were selected and exposed to pronase E, type XIV of Streptomyces griseus, (2 mg/ml in Ringer solution) for 5 min. Permeabilized embryos were immersed in: three permeable cryoprotectants, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), methanol (MeOH) and propylene glycol (PG) in concentrations ranging from 1 to 4 M; and one non-permeable cryoprotectant, sucrose (in concentrations of 10%, 15% and 20%) for 5 and 15 min. After these treatments, the embryos were washed and incubated until hatched. The toxicity of the cryoprotectant was assessed by the hatching rate. The results showed that there was a significant decrease of hatching rate in both developmental stages with increased concentration and duration of exposure. In addition, MeOH was the least toxic permeable cryoprotectant, followed by PG and DMSO. Prolonged exposure to sucrose significantly reduced hatching rate, especially at the heartbeat stage. With the increasing of the embryonic development (from half-epiboly to heartbeat stage) sensitivity to cryoprotectants were decreased.

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The reproductive characteristics of 639 specimens of kingsoldier bream, Argyrops spinifer, a commercial species of Sparidae family in the Persian Gulf were investigated by monthly sampling during June 2010 to May 2011. Samples were caught by local fisherman using trawl net in waters of Bushehr province. Each month, a total of 50-60 specimens of fish were examined, on average. Total length ranged from 15-61 (24±6.6) cm in males and 13-64 (24.0±7.9) cm in females and total weight ranged 77-3450 (323.6±319) g and 52-4162 (370±465) g in males and females, respectively. Total length (Lm₅₀) and age (Am₅₀) at first maturity were estimated as 30 cm and 5 years for males and 31 cm and 6 years for females, this indicate that A. spinifer is exploited below the mean size at sexual maturity. The overall sex ratio was 1.25F:1M and were significantly different from the expected ratio (p<0.05). The highest value of condition factor was observed in January for females and in February for males. The minimum, maximum and average absolute fecundity were 79000, 2375000 and 683000±528000, respectively for females 17-47 cm total length and weighing 117-1666 g. The relationship between absolute fecundity and fish total length was represented by the following linear equation: F= 54417L–92699 (r= 0.77), and a linear equation: F= 1165W+41595 (r= 0.81) was found between absolute fecundity and fish weight. The analysis of ova diameter for the species revealed that there are three egg batches in ripe ovary of A. spinifer and swing diameter of eggs in the ovaries of these fish throughout the year, was between 25-800 microns. Regarding gonado-somatic index (GSI) values, oocyte diameter, histological studies and abundance of different stages of maturity at different month, it seems that spawning of A. spinifer occurs from December to April. Indeed, gonad maturation started from December and spawning completed in March and April. Long spawning season suggests that A. spinifer is a multiple spawner with an asynchronous ovary. This finding could be confirmed by oocyte diameter and histological studies, too. The results of the present study presume state of both protogyny and rudimentary hermaphroditism in A. spinifer.