Pleuronectiformes species identification along the Iranian coastline of the Persian Gulf

Pleuronectiforme fishes of the Persian Gulf coastlines along Khuzestan, Bushehr and Hormozgan provinces were morphometrically and meristically studied from April 2003 to September 2005, in order to identify species. In this experiment, 1551 fish samples were caught by trawl or collected from fish markets. The sampling was carried out in 27 regions seasonally. Thirty six traits and parameters including 18 morphometric, 11 meristic, and 7 phenotype characters were determined. Data obtained from morphometric parameters were analyzed and dendrograms were designed using cluster method. Comparision of the biometric data with the checklist identification index of species show that there are 6 main and dominant families including: Bothidae, Psettodidae, Citharidae, Soleidae, Cynoglossidae and Paralichthyidae in the area. In addition, the identification of above- mentioned families indicated that 25 species in Khuzestan area, 19 species in Bushehr area and 16 species in Hormozgan area inhabit the coastal waters of the Persian Gulf. Meanwhile, 13 species from 5 families in Persian Gulf that have not been reported so far are identified and reported in this research. According to these results and comparing with other studies, 30 species from 6 families were identified in coastal waters in the Persian Gulf on Khuzestan, Bushehr and Hormozgan areas which is the most complete study in Persian Gulf.