Oxynoemacheilus banarescui

Common name. Paphlagonian sportive loach.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Oxynoemacheilus in the Black Sea basin by: ○ caudal–peduncle depth 7–10 % SL, usually 2.0–3.0 times in its length, very rarely 1.6–3.0, without high adipose crest or ridge / ○ caudal emarginate, middle caudal ray 80–90 % of length of longest ray in upper caudal lobe / ○ lateral line complete / ○ flank covered by scales / ○ suborbital groove present in male / ○ one central or no black, grey or brown blotch or short bar on caudal base, its colour identical to blotches on caudal peduncle / ○ no yellowish triangles at posteriormost portion of caudal peduncle / ○ pelvic very long, reaching or almost reaching to anus / ○ pectoral in male very long, reaching or almost reaching to pelvic origin / ○ flank mottled or with large, irregularly shaped, squarish, or vertically elongate blotches, usually as wide or narrower than interspaces / ○ lateral blotches on caudal peduncle usually interrupted in size and/or shape at or above lateral midline. Size up to 78 mm SL.

Distribution . Türkiye: Filyos and Devrekani drainages in Black Sea basin.

Habitat . Fast-flowing streams and rivers with gravel or rock substrate.

Biology. No data.

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. No external characters are known to distinguish this species from O. bergianus, O. fatsaensis, and O. simavicus, all of which are diagnosed by molecular characters. As these four species are allopatric, the distribution area should help in identification.

Further reading. Delmastro 1982 (description); Yoğurtçuoğlu et al. 2020a (distribution); Freyhof 2022 (revision of O. bergianus group).