Cobitis emrei

Common name. Sapanca spined loach.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Cobitis in Marmara and Black Sea basins by: ● Z3 fully covered by very small spots forming a sand-like pattern, especially in female / ● black spot at upper caudal base roundish or ovoid, larger than eye diameter in male / ○ blotches in Z2 and Z4 well separated, fused into a bold stripe in some individuals / ○ flank without pigmentation below Z4 / ○ 12–18 roundish, triangular, squarish or horizontally elongate blotches in Z4, blotches vertically elongate on posterior part of flank / ○ one lamina circularis in male / ○ focal zone of subdorsal scale small, about ⅓–⅒ of vertical scale diameter. Size up to 77 mm SL.

Distribution . Türkiye: Lake Sapanca basin. Cobitis in lower Sakarya drainage are expected to belong to this species.

Habitat. Lakeshores with fine sediments such as sand and silt, and inflowing streams.

Biology. No data.

Conservation status. VU; appears to be declining within its small range.

Further reading. Erk’akan et al. 1998 (distribution as C. vardarensis); Freyhof et al. 2018c (description).