Comparison of biological factors of Aphanius sophiae in Cheshmeh-Ali of Damghan and Shour River of Eshtehard

Length, age frequency, von Bertalanfi growth parameter, reproduction and absolute fecundity of two populations of killifish (Aphanius sophiae) from Cheshmeh-Ali of Damghan and Shour River of Eshtehard were studied monthly from October 2004 to November 2005. There was no significant difference between sex ratios of the two populations (X^2.0.679, P=0.410). Age and length frequencies revealed that female fish of Cheshmeh-Ali were taller and longer-lived than those of Shour River. Maximum of gonadosomatic index of Cheshmeh-Ali fish was in May while in the case of Shour River, it was, in April. The absolute fecundity showed no significant difference using ANCOVA whereas egg diameter of Cheshmeh-Ali population was significantly bigger than Shour River population (P<0.001)

Effect of human chorionic gonadotropin on sexual maturation, sex steroids and thyroid hormone levels in Caspian lamprey (Caspiomyzon wagneri Kessler, 1870)

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on sexual maturation, plasma sex steroids [17β-estradiol, (E2) and 17α-hydroxy progesterone (17α_OHP)] and thyroid hormones (triiodothyronine, T3 and thyroxin, T4) levels in upstream - migrating Caspian lamprey. During the experiment, 36 fish (24 females and 12 males) in spring 2013 and 36 fish (24 females and 12 males) in fall 2013 were collected from the Shirud River estuary in Mazandaran Province, the Southern Caspian Sea during their upstream migration to the freshwater. All fish were injected with hCG at the doses of 1000, 1500 and 2000 IU.kg BW-1. The injection was a two - step process (50% of hormone in each step) by 12 h interval. After the first injection, fish were retained in the cages in the river beds and 24 hours after the second injection, fish were checked for egg and sperm release after mild abdomen pressure. Blood samples were taken for determining sex steroid levels. Results showed that hCG hormone injections caused increase in migration of germinal vesicle in the oocyte of female and sperm release in males. Significant differences were found in the serum E2 and 17α-OHP levels in hCG - injected fish compared to the control. However, no significant differences were found in serum T3 and T4 levels in the hCG -injected fish. According to the results, the appropriate hCG dosage to induce the reproduction acceleration in Caspian lamprey is 1500-2000 IU.kg BW-1

Analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences of Turcinoemacheilus genus (Nemacheilidae Cypriniformes) in Iran

Members of Nemacheilidae Family, Turcinoemacheilus genus were subjected to molecular phylogenetic analysis in this study. This genus was reported in 2009 to inhabit in Karoon River drainage, in contrary to previous assumption that it was the endemic species in the Basin of Tigris River. It was sampled from three stations placed in different tributaries in Karoon drainage and evaluated to understand the molecular phylogenetic relationships of Turcinoemacheilus in Iran. The mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (cyt b) and control region were used to infer phylogenetic relationships. PCR amplification of control region was not carried out successfully, possibly due to the high divergence of this sequence in the studied genus. The amplified fragments of cyt b were sequenced then analyzed by the use of phylogenetic software. Only one divergent position was seen in all three samples stations located in amino acid position 365. GTR and p-distances of cytochrome b gene for T. kosswigi computed from different stations of running water in Karoon drainage showed these samples belong to different populations and fall in intraspecific differences. In this study, examination of the molecular phylogeny using Bayesian analysis, maximum parsimony or neighbor-joining define the phylogentics of Turcinoemacheilus genus as a monophyletic clade which is sister-clade of Nemacheilus and Schistura genera. This report is the first report of Turcinoemacheilus molecular data and could describe molecular phylogeny of this genus in loaches

Morphometric and meristic study of Garra rufa populations in Tigris and Persian Gulf Basins

This study was conducted to determine morphometric and meristic characteristics of Garra rufa in 13 stations of Tigris and Persian Gulf basins. We caught 310 specimens during the year 2007-2008 using electro-shocker and sachok. Univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) and principal component analysis were conducted and the ANOVA revealed significant differences in 28 morphometric and 9 meristic factors (P<0.05). Factor analysis showed that G. rufa of thirteen stations had 48.855% changes in 3 factors of the first morphometric characters (pectoral fin length, ventral fin length, depth of anal fin) and 71/611% changes in 3 factors of the first meristic characters (lateral line scales , circum peduncle scales, predorsal scales). Plotting the first and second principal component morphometric and meristic characters showed that the Mond River population was separated from the others but the other populations were overlapping with each other in the characteristics studied

Hydrology and hydrobiology of Chaloos River

The Chaloos River originates from Alborz Mountain and enters into the Caspian Sea in Chaloos city. Five stations were chosen in different areas for the study during 1371 to 1372 (1992-93). Total variation range of hardness decreased 1 to 5 station, but measure NH4 and NO3 increased. 45 genera belongs to 4 phyla of phytoplankton as follows: Chrysophyta, Chlorophyta, Euglenophyta and Cyanophyta. Zooplankton existing in this river belong to animal classes, which had more abundance in Sarcodina and Monogononta. The benthos river establish Insecta larvae of Ephemeroptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Plecoptera and Odonata (Orders). Chaloos fishes included to 4 families, 10 genera and 12 species. Cyprinidac consisted 66.7% of total fish and had maximum diversity at the various stations

Identification and differentiation of Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica using a simple PCR-restriction enzyme method

Accurate morphological differentiation between the liver fluke species Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica is difficult. We evaluated PCR-restriction enzyme profiles of internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) that could aid in their identification. Fifty F. hepatica and 30 F. gigantica specimens were collected from different hosts in three provinces of Iran. For DNA extraction, we crushed fragments of the worms between two glass slides as a new method to break down the cells. DNA from the crushed materials was then extracted with a conventional phenol-chloroform method and with the newly developed technique, commercial FTA cards. A primer pair was selected to amplify a 463-bp region of the ITS1 sequence. After sequencing 14 samples and in silico analysis, cutting sites of all known enzymes were predicted and TasI was selected as the enzyme that yielded the most informative profile. Crushing produced enough DNA for PCR amplification with both the phenol-chloroform and commercial FTA card method. The DNA extracted from all samples was successfully amplified and yielded a single sharp band of the expected size. Digestion of PCR products with TasI allowed us to distinguish the two species. In all samples, molecular identification was consistent with morphological identification. Our PCR-restriction enzyme profile is a simple, rapid and reliable method for differentiating F. hepatica and F. gigantica, and can be used for diagnostic and epidemiological purposes. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved