Abstract: In Artemia strains, morphometrical studies can be helpful for fish farmers and aquaculurists and will help for the best possible food source. Here, the main objective was to study the thickness of untreated and de-capsulated cysts and the chorion diameter, naupliar and morphometrical characterization of adult females from parthenogenetic Artemia populations located in Korangi Creek, Karachi Saltern. Population was examined at three different salinities at 60, 80 and 100 g.l-1. We analyzed data using Tukey’s test (P < 0.05), one-way ANOVA and discriminant analysis (DA). Findings showed that the diameter of un-treated cysts 260.24±10.35 µm; de-capsulated cyst 245.51±10.85 µm; naupliar length 502.68±31.68 µm and chorion thickness 7.4 µm. The discriminant analysis performed, based on the morphometrical variations, registered as much as 75.2% and 24.8% with female morphotypes. The highest weight of morphotype variations examined positively for antenna length and abdominal length and negatively examined for total body length and length of furca.
Keywords: Parthenogenetic Artemia, Salinity, Morphometrical, Capsulated, De-capsulated, Cysts, Chorion.