In order to determine the Oligochaeta fauna of the Anzali International Wetland (north-western Iran), samples of bottom sediment and aquatic vegetation were collected from 13 stations eight times from August 2012 to June 2013. As a result of the study, 11 species and one genus were identified: Tubifex tubifex, Limnodrilus claparedeianus, L. hoffmeisteri, Potamothrix hammoniensis, P. bedoti, Branchiura sowerbyi, Nais pardalis, Ophidonais serpentina, Dero digitata, Stylaria lacustris, Slavina appendiculata, and Mesenchytraeus sp. Some physico-chemical parameters of the water (depth, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH) were measured at the sampling site. The average density of the total oligochaete community in the benthos of the wetland was 6077 ind. m–2. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index was on average 0.92, with a maximum of 1.57 and a minimum of 0.44 at different stations. Results indicated that the maximum and the minimum density were observed in June (21 837 ind. m–2) and in December (1041.9 ind. m–2), respectively. Most frequent and abundant species were the tubificids L. hoffmeisteri, L. claparedeianus, and P. hammoniensis. All determined oligochaete taxa except T. tubifex were new to the Anzali Wetland, including seven new to the fauna of Iran. The structure of the Oligochaeta community correlated with the progression of the trophic state of the aquatic ecosystem.
Ahmadi, R., Mohebbi, F., Hagigi, P., Esmailly, L., and Salmanzadeh, R. 2011. Macro-invertebrates in the Wetlands of the Zarrineh estuary at the south of Urmia Lake (Iran). International Journal of Environmental Resources, 5(4), 1047–1052.
Ahmadi, R., Aliyev, A., Seidgar, M., Bayramov, A., and Ganji, S. 2012. Macroinvertebrate communities differences on riverine parts and reservoirs of Zarrineh River. American Journal of Agricultural and Biological Sciences , 7(1), 71–75.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3844/ajabssp.2012.71.75
Akbarzadeh, A., Laghai, H.-A., Monavari, M., Nezami, S. A., Shokrzadeh, M., and Saeedi Saravi, S. S. 2008. Survey and determination of Anzali Wetland trophic state through geographic information systems (GIS). Toxicological & Environmental Chemistry, 90(6), 1055–1062.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02772240701850681
Aliyev, A. and Ahmadi, R. 2010. Biodiversity of benthic invertebrates in Aras River. Iranian Scientific Fisheries Journal, 19, 131–142.
Anlauf, A. 1989. Die Charakterisierung von Populationen des Schlammröhrenwurms Tubifex tubifex (Müller) mit Hilfe von enzymelektrophoretischen, populationsgenetischen und ökologischen Methoden. Inaugural Dissertation, Universität Köln. Köln, Deutschland.
Ardalan, A. A., Mooraki, N., and Sadeghi, M. S. 2011. Occurrence of Ophidonais serpentina in Potamon persicum from Jajrood River, Iran. Iranian Journal of Fisheries Sciences, 10(1), 177–180.
Aston, R. J. 1973. Tubificids and water quality: a review. Environmental Pollution, 5(1), 1–10.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0013-9327(73)90050-5
Ayati, B. 2003. Investigation of Sanitary and Industrial Wastewaters Effects on Anzali Reserved Wetland. Final report presented to the MAB–UNESCO.
Basim, Y., Farzadkia, M., Jaafarzadeh, N., and Hendrickx, T. 2012. Sludge reduction by Lumbriculus variegatus in Ahvaz wastewater treatment plant. Iranian Journal of Environmental Health Science & Engineering, 9, 4.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1735-2746-9-4
Brinkhurst, R. O. 1971. A Guide for the Identification of British Aquatic Oligochaeta. Freshwater Biological Association, Scientific Publication, 22. Titus Wilson & Sons LTD, Kendal.
Brinkhurst, R. O. and Jamieson, B. G. M. 1971. Aquatic Oligochaeta of the World. Toronto University, Toronto.
Charkhabi, A. H. and Sakizadeh, M. 2006. Assessment of spatial variation of water quality parameters in the most polluted branch of the Anzali Wetland, Northern Iran. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 15(3), 395–403.
Chekanovskaya, O. V. 1981. Aquatic Oligochaeta of the USSR. Translated from Russian. Amerind Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.
Dolidze, T. M. 1994. Biology of Limnodrilus claparedeanus Ratzel (Oligochaeta, Tubificidae) in the Tsimlyansk Reservoir. Hydrobiologia, 278, 275–279.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00142335
Dumnicka, E. and Galas, J. 2002. Factors affecting the distribution of Oligochaeta in small high mountain ponds (Tatra Mts, Poland). Archiv für Hydrobiologie, 156(1), 121–133.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/0003-9136/2002/0156-0121
Egglishaw, H. J. 1980. Benthic invertebrates of streams on the Alburz Mountain Range near Tehran, Iran. Hydrobiologia, 69, 49–55.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00016535
Erséus, C., Rota, E., Timm, T., Grimm, R., Healy, B., and Lundberg, S. 2005. Riverine and riparian clitellates of three drainages in southern Sweden. Annales de Limnologie – International Journal of Limnology, 41(3), 183–194.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/limn:20054130183
Finogenova, N. P. 1980. Oligochaete fauna of the Ponto-Caspian basin. In Aquatic Oligochaete Worms. Taxonomy, Ecology and Faunistic Studies in the USSR, pp. 71–80. Translated from the Russian, Amerind Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.
Gonçalves, V., Raposeiro, P., and Costa, A. 2008. Benthic diatoms and macroinvertebrates in the assessment of the ecological status of Azorean streams. Limnetica, 27, 317–328.
Hosseinzadeh, Y., Saghafian, B., and Bakhtiary, A. 2013. Impact assessment of periodical variation discharges on water quality of Anzali Wetland. Switzerland Research Park Journal, 102(4), 228–234.
Howmiller, R. P. and Beeton, A. M. 1970. The oligochaete fauna of Green Bay, Lake Michigan. In Proceedings of the 13th Conference of Great Lakes Research, pp. 15–46. New York.
INOVA. 2006. Monitorização da qualidade das águas superficiais e subterrâneas nas Ilhas de São Miguel e Santa Maria: caracterização físico-química e microbiológica. Relatório final. Instituto de Inovação Tecnológica dos Açores, Ponta Delgada (Portugal).
Jabłońska, A. and Pesić, V. 2014. Five species of aquatic oligochaetes new to Iran with an updated checklist. Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies, 43(1), 100–105.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/s13545-014-0121-3
Jafari, N. 2009. Ecological integrity of wetland, their functions and sustainable use. Journal of Ecology and the Natural Environment, 1(3), 45–54.
Jamshidi-Zanjani, A. and Saeedi, M. 2013. Metal pollution assessment and multivariate analysis in sediment of Anzali international wetland. Environmental Earth Sciences, 70, 1791–1808.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2267-5
JICA. 2005. The Study on Integrated Management for Ecosystem Conservation of the Anzali Wetland in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Final report submitted to the Department of Environment. Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Kathman, R. D. and Brinkhurst, R. O. 1998. Guide to the Freshwater Oligochaetes of North America. Aquatic Resources Center, Tennessee, USA.
Lafont, M. 1984. Oligochaete communities as biological descriptors of pollution in the fine sediments of rivers. Hydrobiologia, 115, 127–129.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00027906
Lang, C. 1978. Factorial correspondence analysis of Oligochaeta communities according to eutrophication level. Hydrobiologia, 57, 241–247.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00014578
Mason, C. F. 1996. Biology of Freshwater Pollution. Longman Group Limited, Harlow, Essex.
Milbrink, G. 1970. Records of Tubificidae (Oligochaeta) from the great lakes (L. Mälaren, L. Vättern, and L. Vänern) of Sweden. Archiv für Hydrobiologie, 67, 86–96.
Milbrink, G. 1973. On the use of indicator communities of Tubificidae and some Lumbriculidae in the assessment of water pollution in Swedish lakes. Zoon, 1, 125–129.
Milbrink, G. 1980. Oligochaete communities in pollution biology: the European situation with special reference to lakes in Scandinavia. In Aquatic Oligochaete Biology (Brinkhurst, R. O. and Cook, D. G., eds), pp. 433–455. Plenum Press, New York.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3048-6_22
Mirzajani, A. R., Khodaparastsharifi, H., Babaei, H., Abedini, A., and Dadai Ghandi, A. 2010. Eutrophication trend of Anzali Wetland based on 1992–2002 data. Journal of Environmental Studies, 35(52), 19–21.
Naveed, M. I. 2012. Preliminary studies on aquatic Oligochaeta in and around Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 36(1), 25–37.
Ojaveer, H., Leppäkoski, E., Olenin, S., and Ricciardi, A. 2002. Ecological impact of Ponto-Caspian invaders in the Baltic Sea, European inland waters and the Great Lakes: an inter-ecosystem comparison. In Invasive Aquatic Species of Europe (Leppäkoski, E., et al., eds), pp. 412–415. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9956-6_41
Pamplin, P. A. Z., Rocha, O., and Marchese, M. 2005. Riqueza de espécies de Oligochaeta (Annelida, Clitellata) em duas represas do Rio Tietê (São Paulo). Biota Neotropica, 5(1), 1–8.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1676-06032005000100007
Paunović, M., Miljanović, B., Simić, V., Cakić, P., Djikanović, V., Jakovčev-Todorović, D., et al. 2005. Distribution of non-indigenous tubificid worm Branchiura sowerbyi (Beddard, 1892) in Serbia. Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment, 3, 91–97.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13102818.2005.10817234
Poddubnaya, T. L. 1980. Life cycles of mass species of Tubificidae (Oligochaeta). In Aquatic Oligochaeta Biology (Brinkhurst, R. O. and Cook, D. G., eds), pp. 175–184. Plenum Press, New York.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3048-6_10
Poddubnaya, T. L. 1984. Parthenogenesis in Tubificidae. Hydrobiologia, 115, 97–98.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00027900
Pourang, N. 1996. Heavy metal concentrations in surficial sediments and benthic macroinvertebrates from Anzali Wetland, Iran. Hydrobiologia, 331, 53–61.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00025407
Pourang, N., Richardson, C. A., and Mortazavi, M. S. 2010. Heavy metal concentrations in the soft tissues of swan mussel (Anodonta cygnea) and surficial sediments from Anzali Wetland, Iran. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 163, 195–213.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-0827-7
Prater, B. L., Smith, K. R., Loden, M. S., and Jackson, W. B. 1980. The aquatic Oligochaeta of the Sandusky River, Ohio. Ohio Journal of Science, 80(2), 65–70.
Rîşnoveanu, G. and Vădineanu, A. 2001. Structural changes within the Oligochaeta communities of the Danube Delta in relation with eutrofication. Proceedings of the Romanian Academy, Series B, 3(1), 35–42.
Rodriguez, P. and Reynoldson, T. B. 2011. The Pollution Biology of Aquatic Oligochaetes. Springer, Dordrecht.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1718-3
Scott, D. A. 1995. A Directory of Wetlands in the Middle East. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Gland, Switzerland and International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau, Slimbridge, UK.
Stephenson, J. 1920. On a collection of Oligochaeta from the lesser known parts of India and from eastern Persia. Memoirs of the Indian Museum, 7(3), 191–261.
Tahershamsi, A., Bakhtiary, A., and Mousavi, A. 2009. Effects of seasonal climate change on Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) concentration in the Anzali Wetland (Iran). In Eighteenth World IMACS/MODSIM Congress, pp. 2769–2775. Cairns, Australia.
Timm, T, 1970. On the fauna of the Estonian Oligochaeta. Pedobiologia, 10(1), 53–78.
Timm, T. 1980. Distribution of aquatic oligochaetes. In Aquatic Oligochaete Biology (Brinkhurst, R. O. and Cook, D. G., eds), pp. 55–77. Plenum Press, New York.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3048-6_6
Timm, T. 1996. Tubifex tubifex (Müller, 1774) (Oligochaeta, Tubificidae) in the profundal of Estonian Lakes. Internationale Revue der gesamten Hydrobiologie, 81(4), 589–596.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/iroh.19960810412
Timm, T. 1999. A Guide to the Estonian Annelida. Naturalist’s Handbooks 1. Estonian Academy Publishers, Tartu–Tallinn.
Timm, T. 2013. The genus Potamothrix (Annelida, Oligochaeta, Tubificidae): a literature review. Estonian Journal of Ecology, 62, 121–136.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3176/eco.2013.2.04
Timm, T., Kangur, K., Timm, H., and Timm, V. 1994. Responses of the macrozoobenthos to water blooms in the eutrophied brown water lake Valguta Mustjärv, South Estonia. Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. Ecology, 4, 21–32.
Uzunov, J., Košel, V., and Sládeček, V. 1988. Indicator value of freshwater Oligochaeta. Acta Hydrochimica et Hydrobiologica, 16(2), 173–186.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aheh.19880160207
