Biometrical study of Artemia (Anostraca: Artemiidae) Cysts harvested from Lake Urmia (West Azerbaijan, Iran)

Abstract

Artemia urmiana was reported from Lake Urmia by Günther in 1899. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the diameter of untreated and decapsulated cysts and chorion thickness at 26 stations in Lake Urmia. One-way AN0VA (Tukey test, P < 0.05) was used for analyzing the data. Only 31 pair means of untreated cysts among 26 stations showed significant differences, but, on the other hand, 157 pair means of decapsulated cysts among stations showed significant differences. There was a high variation in cyst diameter among the different localities in Lake Urmia. It was shown that this lake consists of recognizable sections producing cysts with different hatching characteristics, which can be used for diverse aquacultural purposes.