The Freshwater Fishes of Iran Redacted for Privacy Hs Tract Approved: Dr
AN ABSTRPCT OF THE THESIS OF Neil Brant Anuantzout for the degree of Dcctor of Philosophy in Fisheries presented on 2 Title: The Freshwater Fishes of Iran Redacted for Privacy hs tract approved: Dr. Carl E. Bond The freshwater fish fauna of Iran is representedby 3 classes, 1 orders, 31 familIes, 90 genera, 269species and 58 subspecIes. This includes 8 orders, 10 families, 14 generaand 33 species with marine representatives that live at least partof the tixne in freshwater. Also included are one family, 7 genera,9 species and 4 subspecies introduced into Iran. Overhalf the species and nearly half the genera are in the family Cypririidae; over75% of the genera and species are in the orderCypriniformes. The fish fauna may be separated into threemajor groups. The largest and nst diverse is the Sannatian Fauna,which includes the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Lake Bezaiyeh, Rhorasan,Isfahan, Dashte-Kavir, and the four subbasins of the Namak LakeBasins. Of the fish found in Iran, 14 of 31 earnilies, 48 of 90 genera,127 of 269 species and 46 of 58 subspecies are found in theSarmatian Fauna. Endemisa is low, and nstly expressed at the subspecific level.The fauna contains marine relicts from the Sannatian Sea and recentinmigrants with strong relationships to the fishes of Europe, the Black Seaand northern Asia. The marine relicts are absent outside the Caspian Sea Basin, where the fauna is best described as a depauperate extensionof the Caspian and Aral Sea faunas. The second major fauna is the Nesopotamian Fauna,and includes the Tigris and Euphrates river Basins, the Karun1iver Basin, and the Kol, nd, Maliarlu, Neyriz and Lar Basins.
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