Astatotilapia flaviijosephi ( Lortet, 1883 )

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 : 38

Astatotilapia flaviijosephi ( Lortet, 1883) [N]—Redbelly tilapia; None

Taxonomy. Original description: Chromis flaviijosephi Lortet, 1883: 141 , pl. 8 (fig. 2) [Aun Nudauwara, Syria, 32°50’N, 35°28’E; lectotype: MGHN 4056].—Syrian synonyms: Haplochromis flaviijosephi ( Lortet, 1883) .—Revisions: None.—Illustration: Lortet (1883: p. 8, fig. 2) as Chromis flaviijosephi, Krupp & Schneider (1989: 395 , fig. 49).

Status in Syria. Recorded from Syria in original description by Lortet (1883: 141); subsequently reported by Beckman (1962: 54 as Haplochromis flavi-josephi ).—Syrian material: MGHN.

Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Syria: Jordan River system.—Distribution in River Basin: 3-Desert, 5-Barada & Awaj, 7-Al-Yarmouk.—General distribution: Middle East: Jordan River system ( Syria, Israel, Jordan).—Distribution in Ecoregion:438- Jordan River, 440-Arabian Interior.—Habitat:This species lives in the shallow zones of lakes, springs, and streams, where it may be found among stones or vegetation. Freshwater.

Economic importance. Commercially important.

Conservation. Conservation status in Syria: Unknown.—IUCN: VU ( IUCN 2023 as Haplochromis flaviijosephi ).— Threats: ABS, CLI, HAB.—High sensitivity to human activities.—Not considered as a keystone species.— Decline status: Decreasing.—High priority for conservation action.

Remarks. The absence of this species in the Yarmouk River, which is a tributary of the Jordan River, indicates that it is extinct in Syria’s aquatic bodies (Hourani, 2005).