New geographic site records for Artemia in Iran
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Abstract
The last distribution map of different Artemia populations in Iran dates back to 2006, which reported the identification of Artemia from 17 different geographical areas. Climate change in Iran and the adaptability of Artemia to new environments emphasize the importance of studying its newly established habitats. In this study, three new Artemia habitats were introduced, and scientific information regarding the species and population characteristics of Artemia from these habitats was presented. In addition, cyst samples were recorded and stored in the cyst bank of the National Artemia Research Center, Urmia, Iran.
Cyst samples collected from three new areas of Iran, including Qazvin, Behshahr, and Khoy, were transferred to the laboratory for biometric studies of cysts, molecular analyses, and species differentiation through examination of nucleotide diversity in the COI-mtDNA region and the Na/K ATPase pump marker. The results showed that all identified Artemia populations were bisexual. In terms of species identification, Artemia found in the Behshahr region belonged to Artemia sinica, while those found in Qazvin-Abyek and Khoy-Qotur belonged to Artemia urmiana.
The mean cyst diameter (mean ± standard deviation) of Artemia from the Behshahr region was significantly different from those of the other two regions (p < 0.05). The largest cyst diameter was related to A. sinica from Behshahr (280.53 ± 19.64 µm), while the smallest cyst diameter was related to Artemia from the Khoy-Qotur region (255.15 ± 5.51 µm).
For the first time, the isolation and identification of A. sinica in Behshahr and A. urmiana in Qazvin and Khoy were reported in Iran. The occurrence of Artemia in these areas may be associated with nearby fish farms, where Artemia had likely been used as live food for larvae. Artemia cysts may subsequently have spread into surrounding environments and established permanent habitats in these regions in recent years.
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