Paraschistura naumanni

Common name. Persian banded loach.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Paraschistura in West Asia by: ○ dorsal origin situated above, or very slightly behind vertical of pelvic origin / ○ suborbital flap or groove absent in male / ○ back and flank fully covered by scales / ○ snout blunt / ○ absence of a long dorsal adipose crest / ○ lateral line incomplete / ○ caudal emarginate / ○ 7½ branched dorsal rays / ○ very variable colour pattern of irregularly shaped and set, often faded bars and blotches on flank / ○ pelvic reaching to a point about 1.0–2.0 eye diameter in front of anus / ○ no dorsal adipose crest / ○ caudal–peduncle depth 1.7–2.0 times longer than deep / ○ a bold or faint black spot at base of first dorsal rays in some populations / ○ a complete black bar at caudal base in some populations / ○ distance between anus and tip of pelvic 4–7 % SL. Size up to 51 mm SL.

Distribution . Iran: Kor basin and Kol and Mond drainages.

Habitat. Fast to slow-flowing streams and springs with gravel substrate.

Biology. No data.

Conservation status. VU; appears to be declining in its small range, where stream desiccation is a major challenge.

Remarks. In the Kol drainage, P. naumanni occurs in sympatry with P. abdolii and P. delvarii . Whether all three species occur in syntopy or are geographically separated within Kol drainage remains unclear. Oxynoemacheilus persa is another loach species found in Mond. Paraschistura naumanni shows a large variability in colour patterns within and between different populations, and fish from other sites may look very different.

Further reading. Freyhof et al. 2015 (description).