The first report of biometrical characterization of a rare male in a parthenogenetic population of the brine shrimp Artemia (from Urmia Lake)
Alireza Asem1,2*, Behrooz Atashbar3 and Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani4
1) Protectors of Urmia Lake National Park Society (NGO), Urmia, IRAN
2) West Bio-Processor Inc., Urmia, IRAN
3) Artemia and Aquatic Animals Research Institute, Urmia University, Urmia, IRAN
4) Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Razi University, 67149 Kermanshah, IRANSummary:
The genus Artemia (Crustacea: Anostraca) is a complex of bisexual species and parthenogenetic populations which has a wide distribution in over all temperate and tropical areas of the world. The parthenogenetic populations of Artemia rarely produce male, hence always female samples of parthenogenetic populations are used to carry out biometrical and morphometrical analyses. Parthenogenetic population cysts within the Urmia Lake have been taken from the AAARI cyst bank (Artemia and Aquatic Animals Research Institute). This cyst sample was hatched and its nauplii were cultured at 80 ppt salinity in lab conditions. The rare male samples were collected during five months. Twelve morphological characters for males were measured. Generally the male samples of parthenogenetic population are smaller than the female samples; the same is true for the bisexual Artemia species. The PCA analysis can separate male and female samples in this parthenogenetic population. Also, the DA shows %100 of original classification. Therefore, males and females are clearly sexually dimorphic, the same as in bisexual Artemia.
