Barilius mesopotamicus Berg, 1932

Saad, Adib, Çiçek, Erdoğan, Esmaeili, Hamid Reza, Fricke, Ronald, Sungur, Sevil & Eagderi, Soheil, 2023, Freshwater fishes of Syria: a revised and updated annotated checklist- 2023, Zootaxa 5350 (1), pp. 1-62 : 25

Barilius mesopotamicus Berg, 1932 [N]—Mesopotamian minnow; None

Taxonomy. Original description: Barilius mesopotamicus Berg, 1932: 333 , fig. 1 [Gawi River, Tigris River basin, 33°20’N, 46°20’E, Iraq; holotype: ZIN 23955].—Syrian synonyms: None.—Revisions: Bianco & Bănărescu (1982: 76).—Illustration: Berg (1932: fig. 1).

Status in Syria. First record from Syria by Beckman (1962: 116); confirmed by Coad & Krupp (1983:49).—Syrian material: BMNH, SMF.

Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Syria: Tigris River basin.—Distribution in River Basin: 1-Dajleh & Khabour, 2-Euphrates & Aleppo.—General distribution: Asia Minor and Middle East: Tigris and Persis River basins ( Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria).—Distribution in Ecoregion: 441-Lower Tigris & Euphrates, 442-Upper Tigris & Euphrates.—Habitat: This species inhabits the upper water column close to the surface of small to large rivers with slow to moderate currents. Freshwater.

Economic importance. Locally consumed, but of no commercial importance.

Conservation. Conservation status in Syria: Unknown.—IUCN: LC ( IUCN 2023).—Threats: CLI, CON, ABS, HAB.—Low sensitivity to human activities.—Keystone species.—Decline status: Decreasing.—Low priority for conservation action.