Check List 8(2): 283-285, 2012 © 2012 Check List and Authors Chec List ISSN 1809-127X (available at www.checklist.org.br) Journal of species lists and distribution N Aphanius mesopotamicus Coad, 2009, in southwestern Iran ISTRIBUTIO A new record confirms the occurrence of D 1* 2 2 RAPHIC Yazdan Keivany G (Actinopterygii: Cyprinodontidae) EO , Mohammad Sadegh Alavi-Yeganeh and Jafar Seyfabadi G N O 1 Isfahan University of Technology,[email protected] Faculty of Natural Resources, Department of Fisheries. Isfahan, 84156-83111. Iran. 2 Tarbiat Modares University, Faculty of Marine Science, Department of Fisheries. Noor, Iran. OTES * Corresponding author: E-mail: N Abstract: We report the occurrence of Mesopotamian tooth carp, Aphanius mesopotamicus Coad 2009, in a southern basedbranch on of those the Karkheh old museum River, specimens. 10 km west of Hoor-Al-Azim Wetland. This is the first report of successful collection of this species after its first collection in 1978-80 and futile efforts during the last three decades and after its original description The Mesopotamian tooth carp, Aphanius mesopotamicus Coad, 2009, was described from southern Mesopotamia in Iran and Iraq. The type locality was the Karkheh River, Khuzestan Province, Iran. The description was based on morphological characteristics of museum specimens collected in 1978 from the Karkheh River branch at Abdolkhan, Iran, and early 1980s collection of paratype allspecimens further attemptsfrom Qarmat`Ali, to collect Basrah,specimens 30°34’ in both N, countries47°46’ E, in Iraq (Coad 2009). Since the first specimen collections, upstreamhave been unsuccessfulof type locality during in the2001, last threewhich decades. has led to periodicalConstruction desiccation of the of Karkhehthe Karkheh Dam, Riverabout branches, 60 km high pollution of the area as the result of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), aquaculture extension and also diverting theriver area. water for agricultural purposes are the probable suspects causing the loss of populations of this species in specimens of A. mesopotamicus were found in downstream in theAs a resultKarkheh of our River, investigation about 10 in km December west of 2010, Hoor-Al- some Figure 1. A. mesopotamicus Distribution map of . Solid squares are Azim Wetland, close to Sousangerd city (48°09’48.3”E, previously known localities (in 1978 and early 1980s) and the open 31°32’59.4”N), indicating the presence of this species square corresponds to the new record locality at 48°09’48.3” E, 40 km west, and about 100 km further toward river 31°32’59.4” N, near Hoor-Al-Azim Wetland. downstream, from the type locality (Figures 1 and 2). The suchcollection as hornworts site, about (Ceratophyllum 37 m above the sp. sea level, hadTypha a calm Ten specimens of each sex were used for the morphological andwater reeds flow (onPhragmites a sandy bed with banks covered with plants study (Figure 3). The specimens were anesthetized with ), cattails ( sp.) 1% clove oil solution and fixed in 96% ethanol. Collected sp.). The water temperature was specimens where catalogued in the fish collection of 24.4°C,The dissolvedcollection oxygen was made 8.8 mg/l as a atpart 106% of asaturation, joint project pH countsIsfahan and University measurements. of Technology All measurements (IUT13890807-236- were taken 8.23, EC 2367 µS, and TDS 1181 mg/l during the sampling. point15). Coad to point (1988; by a 1996)pointer procedures caliper to anwere accuracy followed of 0.02 for of the Iran Environmental Protection Organization and specimensIsfahan University of A. mesopotamicus of Technology; the collection permission mm. Vertebral counting was done after a bone staining being granted by the former (No. 32/15827). A total of 60 procedure (Dingerkus and Uhler 1977). The morphological were collected using nylon findings in our study (Table 1) correspond with those of seine 5 m long × 2 m deep and 2 mm stretched mesh size; Coad (2009). 283 Keivany et al. | Occurrence of Aphanius mesopotamicus in southwestern Iran A. mesopotamicus include Aphanius spp. (Alcaraz et al. Acanthobrama marmid Alburnus mossulensis Other speciesCyprinion coexist kais with Carasobarbus tooth carp in this area. 2008), and this exotic fish luteus LuciobarbusHeckel, 1843, barbulus couldThe be description a serious ecologicalof this species threat has tobeen the based Mesopotamian on a series Heckel,Luciobarbus 1843, pectoralis (Heckel, 1843),, Mesopotamichthys of morphometric and meristic characters in a multivariate sharpeyi (Heckel, 1843), Liza abu Heckel, 1849,, (Heckel, 1843)Gambusia holbrooki (Günther, Carassius1874) and auratus (Heckel, 1843) analysis along with a color pattern. Molecularet techniques al. and also some exoticGambusia species such as Reichenbacherand otolith morphometry et al. could add confirmatory data to Girard, 1859 and (Linnaeus, 1758). the current morphological evidences (Hrbek 2006; Mosquito fish, spp. are strong competitors of 2007). Table 1. A. mesopotamicus collected from Comparison of 12 morphometric and 12 meristic character ranges of 10 female and 10 male specimens of Karkheh River withCHARACTER those in Coad (2009). STUDY SEX RANGE CHARACTER STUDY SEX RANGE Coad 2009 ♂ Coad 2009 ♂ This study ♂ This study ♂ 12-13 3.2-3.6 Coad 2009 ♀ Coad 2009 ♀ 11-13 3.5-3.8 Dorsal fin rays This study ♀ Standard length/Head length This study ♀ 11-13 3.3-3.7 Coad 2009 ♂ 10-12 Coad 2009 ♂ 12-13 3.5-3.8 This study ♂ 11-12 This study ♂ 1.6-1.7 Coad 2009 ♀ 11-12 Coad 2009 ♀ 1.6-1.7 Anal fin rays This study ♀ 10-12 Standard length/Predorsal length This study ♀ 1.5-1.7 Coad 2009 ♂ Coad 2009 ♂ 1.6-1.7 This study ♂ This study ♂ 13-15 1.5-1.7 Coad 2009 ♀ Coad 2009 ♀ 13-14 1.4-1.7 Pectoral fin rays This study ♀ Head length/Head width This study ♀ 14-15 1.3-1.6 Coad 2009 ♂ Coad 2009 ♂ 13-15 1.3-1.5 This study ♂ This study ♂ Lateral series scales 26-28 1.5-1.7 Coad 2009 ♀ Coad 2009 ♀ 25-27 1.6-1.8 This study ♀ Standard length/Preanal length This study ♀ 26-29 1.4-1.6 Coad 2009 ♂ 10-12 Coad 2009 ♂ 25-27 1.5-1.7 This study ♂ 10-12 This study ♂ Gill rakers 0.8-1.2 Coad 2009 ♀ Coad 2009 ♀ 0.8-1.1 This study ♀ 11-12 Head length/ Dorsal fin length This study ♀ 11-14 1.2-1.4 Coad 2009 ♂ Coad 2009 ♂ 1.1-1.4 This study ♂ This study ♂ Caudal peduncle scale 12-16 4.0-4.7 Coad 2009 ♀ Coad 2009 ♀ 12-15 4.5-4.8 This study ♀ Standard length/Head depth This study ♀ 12-16 4.0-4.7 Coad 2009 ♂ Coad 2009 ♂ 12-15 4.2-4.8 This study ♂ This study ♂ 4-5 1.1-1.3 Coad 2009 ♀ Coad 2009 ♀ 4-5 1.1-1.3 Scales between lateral series and dorsal fin This study ♀ Head length/Head depth This study ♀ 4-5 1.1-1.3 Coad 2009 ♂ Coad 2009 ♂ 4-5 1.1-1.3 This study ♂ This study ♂ 5-7 2.2-2.6 Coad 2009 ♀ Coad 2009 ♀ 6 2.1-2.6 Scales between lateral series and pelvic fin This study ♀ Head length /Interorbital width This study ♀ 5-8 2.3-2.5 Coad 2009 ♂ Coad 2009 ♂ 5-6 2.2-2.7 This study ♂ This study ♂ 5-7 2.2-2.5 Coad 2009 ♀ Coad 2009 ♀ 5 2.1-2.4 Scales between lateral series and anal fin This study ♀ Head length /Postorbital length This study ♀ 4-6 2.1-2.4 Coad 2009 ♂ 11-12 Coad 2009 ♂ 5 2.1-2.4 This study ♂ 11-12 This study ♂ Precaudal vertebrae 1.5-1.8 Coad 2009 ♀ Coad 2009 ♀ 1.4-2.0 This study ♀ 11-12 Head length/ Pectoral fin length This study ♀ 11-13 1.5-1.9 Coad 2009 ♂ Coad 2009 ♂ 1.5-2.1 This study ♂ This study ♂ 0.9-1.2 Caudal vertebrae 15-17 1.1-1.4 Coad 2009 ♀ Coad 2009 ♀ 1.0-1.2 16 This study ♀ Dorsal fin length/Anal fin length This study ♀ 14-17 Coad 2009 ♂ 15-16 1.1-1.3 Coad 2009 ♂ This study ♂ 1.4-1.8 This study ♂ 10-12 peduncle depth Coad 2009 ♀ 10-15 Caudal peduncle length/ Caudal 1.5-1.9 Flank bars (males) This study ♀ 1.5-1.9 1.6-2.0 284 Keivany et al. | Occurrence of Aphanius mesopotamicus in southwestern Iran Acknowledgments: We are grateful to Mr. Manoochehr Nasri and Mr. Ali Mirzaei for their assistance in field work and Mr. Ken Miller for help with photographs. This study was financially supported by Iran Environmental Protection Organization and Isfahan University of Technology. Literature Cited Alcaraz, C., A. BisazzaOecologia and E. Garcia-Berthou. 2008. Salinity mediates the competitiveAphanius interaction vladykovi between, a new invasive species mosquito of tooth-carp fish and from an endangered fish. 155: 205-213. Coad,Environmental B.W. 1988. Biology of Fishes the Zagros Mountains of Iran (Osteichthyes: Cyprinodontidae).Aphanius 23(1-2): 115-125. Coad,Iran. B.W. Biologia, 1996. SystematicsBratislava of the tooth-carp genus Nardo, Coad,1827 B.W. (Actinopterygii: 2009. A new species Cyprinodontidae) of tooth-carp, in Aphanius Fars Province, mesopotamicus southern, 51(2): 163–172. Zookeys from Iran and Iraq (Actinopterygii, Cyprinodontidae). 31: 149-163. Stain Dingerkus,Technology G. and L.D. Uhler. 1977. Enzyme clearing of alcian blue stained whole small vertebrates for demonstration of cartilage.Aphanius Figure 2. 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