Iranian Journal of Ichthyology
Volume:5 Issue: 1, Mar 2018

This checklist aims to list all the reported cyprinodontid fishes (superfamily Cyprinodontoidea/pupfishes) of the world. It lists 141 species in 8 genera and 4 families. The most diverse family is Cyprinodontidae (54 species, 38%), followed by Orestiidae (45 species, 32%), Aphaniidae (39 species, 28%), and Cubanichthyidae (3 species, 2%). Among 141 listed species, 73 (51.8%) species are Not Evaluated (NE), 15 (10.6%) Least Concern (LC), 9 (6.4%) Vulnerable (VU), 3 (2.1%) Data Deficient (DD), 11 (7.8%) Critically Endangered (CR), 4 (2.8%) Near Threatened (NT), 18 (12.8%) Endangered (EN), 3 (2.1%) Extinct in the Wild (EW) and 5 (3.5%) Extinct of the Red List of IUCN. They inhabit in the fresh, brackish and marine waters of the United States, Middle America, the West Indies, parts of northern South America, North Africa, the Mediterranean Anatolian region, coastal areas of the Persian Gulf and Makran Sea (Oman Sea), the northern Arabian Sea east to Gujarat in India, and some endorheic basins of Iran, Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.

The age and growth parameters of the brond-snout, Chondrostoma regium in Beheshtabad River of Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari Province were investigated during April 2013 to April 2014. The males ranged between 8.04-22.10cm and 5.20-105.00g. The females ranged between 7.84-23.15cm and 8.70-155.00g. Males were categorized in age classes 1+5 and females in age classes 1+6. The age class 3 was the dominant one in the whole samples. The length-weight relationship for males, females and all individuals was as W=0.0089L3.045 (r2=0.95), W=0.0082L3.109 (r2=0.85) and W=0.0107L3.000 (r2=0.92), respectively, indicating a positive allometric growth pattern for the females and an isometric growth for the males and all fish.
The age-length and age-weight relationships in males and females were estimated as Lt=26.23[1-e-0.267(t.483)], Wt=160.77[1-e-0.267(t.483)]3.045 and Lt=31.89[1-e-0.148(t.067)], Wt=266.11[1-e-0.148(t.067)]3.109, respectively. The growth performance index (Ф') value was 3.84 in males and 2.18 in females, indicating a faster growth rate in males. The mean condition factor was 1.02±0.01 for males and 1.14±0.02 for females. The relative length of gut was 1.18±0.05 for all fish, indicating a herbivorous habit for this fish. The highest mean feeding intensity of males was in July and the lowest in March and April. In the female, the highest was in January and the lowest in June. The highest mean value of Gut vacuity index of males and females was in the spring and the lowest in summer. About 55% of the studied stomachs were full. The highest number of empty stomachs was in May (80%) and the lowest in July (32%). Based on the mean Gut vacuity index (48%), this fish is considered a medium feeding fish (40

This paper describes combined effects of intestinal parasite infestation and extrinsic stress on the host gross energy in Malapterurus electricus host-parasite system. Eighty (80) fish samples were procured from the Lekki lagoon, Nigeria. Condition factors, organosomatic indices and hepatic glycogen of the individuals were estimated/measured. Infection status and median condition (K1.4) of M. electricus were used in grouping the individuals. Histological alterations of the intestines were also observed and scored for Gut-pathological Alteration Index (GAI). Infested individuals harbor Electrotaenia malopteruri (a cestode) and Procamallanus longus (a nematode). Non-infested individuals of low condition factor had the lowest hepatic glycogen; Mean±SD, 6.59±7.02mg/dl, infested individuals; Mean±SD, 18.94±11.18mg/dl, P0.01 but the lowest GSI, Mean±SD, 4.80±2.9, P>0.01. These individuals depleted almost all their hepatic glycogen and signified reduced reproductive potential but had the highest hepatic energy influx to tissues for cellular metabolism. Parasite infestation and extrinsic stresses have significant impact on host gross energy content. Understanding the physiological mechanism in these stress interactions in the host is highly essential.

Geometric morphometric method was used to examine body shape variations among the three populations of the Caspian shad, Alosa caspia, in the southern Caspian Sea coasts of Iran. A total of 289 A. caspia specimens were caught from three localities, from the west to the east including Guilan (Anzali), Mazandaran (Sari) and Golestan (Miankale), respectively. Shape data was extracted using 15 landmark points on 2-D pictures of specimens. The PCA, DFA, CVA/MANOVA analyses and cluster analysis (CA) based on Euclidean square distances were used to examine shape differences among the three populations. Significant differences were found among the populations of A. caspia in terms of body shape. Cluster analysis showed separation of Mazandaran populations from the other provinces. Results revealed that the studied populations are divided into two categories; a group with large body and head depth and short and wide caudal peduncle and the other one with shallow body, small head and longer caudal peduncle. Observed differences in the head shape of Mazandaran population of A. caspia could be indirectly related to the feeding resources. Changes in head and mouth shapes can be considered as reflective of differences in selection of food items and direction of feeding. The obtained body shape properties can provide a shape-based identification key for Alosa caspia, which is useful for fisheries and stock management or conservation programs.

Landmark-based geometric morphometric and meristic characters were used to explore morphological variation among three population samples of deepwater goby, Ponticola bathybius, (Family Gobiidae) along the southern Caspian Sea in Iran. Morphological differences were studied using the geometric morphometric method of thin-plate splines and multivariate analysis of partial warp scores on the left and dorsal sides of the specimens. Non parametric MANOVA discerned significant differences in shape variations among the population samples. Also, the three samples exhibited significant differences in meristic data. Mantel test results indicated that there was no relationship between the morphological data and geographic distances, suggesting spatially heterogeneous levels of morphological divergence.

This research was conducted to study length frequency distribution, length-weight relationship (LWR) and condition factor of 10 cichlid fishes, viz. Coptodon guineensis, Coptodon zillii, Coptodon dageti, Pelmatolapia mariae, Hemichromis fasciatus, Pelvicachromis taeniatus, Chomidotilapia guntheri, Tylochromis sudanensis, Sarotherodon galilaeus and Sarotherodon melanotheron from New Calabar River. Samples were collected on monthly basis during February to July, 2017. A total of 1073 specimens ranging from 13.12±0.82 to 17.07±0.94cm in total length and 45.00±8.00 to 103.01±25.81g in total weight were collected. The LWR regressions showed that the exponent b value ranged from 2.38 (Coptodon guineensis) to 3.00 (Sarotherodon galilaeus). The coefficients of determination (r2) of the LWR regressions ranged between 0.82 for Coptodon guineensis and 0.98 for Sarotherodon galilaeus indicating strong LWR relationships. The Fulton condition factor ranged from 1.95±0.06 (Pelvicachromis taeniatus) to 2.22±0.11 (Pelmatolapia mariae), indicating good conditions for the studied species.

Cestode species of the genus Grillotia Guiart, 1927 are among the most commonly encountered trypanorhynch cestodes, either as the adult in elasmobranchs or as the plerocercus (larval stage) in teleost fishes. In this study, we report Grillotia erinaceus (Cestoda: Trypanorhyncha) from a teleost fish, Torpedo scad, Megalaspis cordyla (Linnaeus, 1758), from the Persian Gulf for the first time. The specimens of G. erinaceus were obtained from subcutaneous tissues of Torpedo scad collected from a fish market in Bandar Abbas, Iran. No reaction, inflammation or exudate was seen in examined tissues.