Collecting and Identification of Gammarus species of the Zayandeh-rood River

Amphipods are the main food for many fishes and have high sensitivity to environmental pollution, therefore they are of economical and ecological importance. Due to the fact that the different species of Amphipoda have different physiological and ecological characterestics, the first step in cultureing them is their identification. In this study, the primary objective was to collect and indentify the Gammarus species in Zayandeh-rood River. Eight sites from various sections of the river from the origin to Dorcheh were selected. Sampling was performed seasonally from March 2002 to December 2002. Three samples were taken from each site, using the sampler (dredge) and specimens were preserved in formaline 5%. Then thay were identified to species level using the available identification keys. The 4 species were indentified as G. pseudosyriacus, G. proiectus, G. komareki, G. bakhteyaricus belonging to the genus Gammarus (Gammridae).