More than 10,000 Caspian seals (Phoca caspica) were reported dead in the Caspian Sea during spring and summer 2000. We performed necropsies and extensive laboratory analyses on 18 seals, as well as examination of the pattern of strandings and variation in weather in recent years, to identify the cause of mortality and potential contributory factors. The monthly stranding rate in 2000 was up to ...

The genus Alburnoides Jeitteles, 1861 in Iran is reviewed, and diagnoses are presented for all eight recognized species. Alburnoides eichwaldii, A. holciki, A. idignensis, A. namaki, A. nicolausi, A. petrubanarescui, A. qanati and A. tabarestanensis are considered valid and three new species are described: Alburnoides coadi sp. n., from Namrud River in Kavir basin, A. parhami sp. n., from Atrak...

to determine the prevalence of animal fascioliasis in coastal regions of the caspian sea, during 2006-2007, a total of 2368 faecal samples were collected from sheep (n=1250), cattle (n=975) and horse (n=143). the samples were obtained directly from the rectum of animals. floatation method was performed for determination of egg per gram of faeces (epg). our findings revealed the presence of fasc...

the aim of this study was to provide necessary information on the age, growth and sex ratio of one of commercially important cyprinid species, alburnus chalcoides in the southern caspian sea (north iran) from 2010 through 2011. 53 specimens of both sexes (males and females) were collected monthly. the samples were transported tothe laboratory for further biological measurements and otolith extr...

actinomycetes are interesting as a main producer of secondary metabolites and industrial antibiotics from marine environments. a total of 44 strains of actinomycetes were isolated from caspian sea sediments at a depth of 5-10 m. preliminary screening was done using cross-streak method against 2 gram-positive and 4 gram-negative pathogen bacteria. the most potent strains mn2, mn3, mn38, mn39, mn...

study of phenotypic diversity among populations can help better understanding of diversification of species within ecosystems and intraspecific diversification in fishes. a geometric morphometric study was carried out using the elliptic fourier analysis to demonstrate the effect of habitat type on morphological features of shemaya ( alburnus chalcoides ) populations. populations were sampled fr...

heavy metal accumulation in the aquatic ecosystems is a main concern which threats human health. in this study two commercial fish species, rutilus kutum and chelon aurata were selected for assessing heavy metal (cd, pb, zn) concentrations in gill and liver tissues at babolsar’s coast, the southern caspian sea, iran. babolsar is one of the important fishery stations in the southern caspian sea....