Mastacembelus mastacembelus (Banks & Solander, 1794) [N]—Mesopotamian spiny eel

Taxonomy. Original description: Ophidium mastacembelus Banks & Solander in Russell, 1794: 209, Pl. 6 [locality unknown; no types known].— Iraq synonyms: None.—Revisions: Gholamhosseini et al. (2022).—Illustration: Banks & Solander in Russell (1794: 209, pl. 6).

Status in Iraq. First record from Iraq by Mahdi (1962); confirmed by Jawad et al. (2016).—Iraq materials: None.

Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Iraq: Tigris and Euphrates River drainages.—General distribution: Middle East: Tigris River, Kor River, and Persian Gulf basins (Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran).—Habitat: This species inhabits a wide range of habitats, from reservoirs and large rivers to small mountain streams. Often very abundant in rapids and riffles. Freshwater.

Economic importance. Commercially important.

Conservation. Conservation Status in Iraq: Unknown.—IUCN: LC (IUCN 2023).—Threats: EUT.—Moderate sensitivity to human activities.—Not considered as a keystone species.—Decline status: Stable.—Moderate priority for conservation action.