Garra rezai Mousavi-Sabet, Eagderi, Saemi-Komsari, Kaya & Freyhof, 2022

Kaya, Cueneyt, Imre, Haydar Birol & Kurtul, Irmak, 2024, Is Garra rezai (Teleostei, Cyprinidae) a species known only from two widely disjunct areas in the Tigris drainage?, Zoosystematics and Evolution 100 (2), pp. 349-356 : 349

Garra rezai Mousavi-Sabet, Eagderi, Saemi-Komsari, Kaya & Freyhof, 2022

Fig. 3

Common names.

Tigris garra.

Diagnosis.

Garra rezai is distinguished from all the species of Garra in adjacent waters in having a combination of the following characters: Breast with embedded scales, predorsal mid-line covered by (12)13-18(19-21) scales, gular disc short and wide, 35-40 total lateral-line scales, 5½ (rarely 4½ and 6½) transverse scale rows between lateral line and dorsal origin, 3½-4½ transverse scale rows between lateral line and pelvic origin, 15-18 circumpeduncular scales, axillary scale at pelvic origin large, 11-16 total gill rakers, usually 7½ branched dorsal rays, eye fully developed.

Distribution in Türkiye.

Known only from Kaynarca Stream (Murat drainage) in Euphrates. In Tigris; Yanarsu, Botan, Menfez, Hezil and Batman drainages, as well as from Aktoprak Stream, an uppermost drainage of Tigris River.

IUCN Status.

Not Evaluated. The results of this study revealed that G. rezai is distributed in at least seven different drainage areas in Türkiye. Although G. rezai is known from only one locality in Iran outside Türkiye, we expected it to inhabit also other localities in Iran, Iraq and possibly Syria. In summary, this species occurs in various drainage areas and, in general, its populations appear to be in good condition; its IUCN status is suggested to be Least Concern.

Intermediate specimens

Amongst all 73 lots, we had difficulty in identifying only five samples from the Aktoprak Stream station (FFR1821, n = 23). A total 18 of these samples were easily recognised as G. rezai with 12(3), 13(3), 14(2), 15(5), 17(4), 20(1) PreDs and 7½ (16), 8½ (2) DFR ranges. However, five individuals (later moved to another lot with a new collection code: FFR 4062) with 9(1), 11(3), 17(1) PreDs and 7½ (2), 8½ (3) DFR ranges did not match either G. rufa or G. rezai and the values were grouped between the two species. Although GRs were analysed for control, these individuals did not match either species. The most notable example was an individual with 17 PreDs and 8½ DFR, which was expected to be G. rezai ; however, it moved the individual closer to G. rufa with 20 GR (GR range of G. rufa is 20-29). Therefore, here we identified these five individuals as Garra sp. (Fig. 4 ). We encourage researchers to further study these populations, especially using molecular markers.

Figures

Figure 3. Upper one, G. rufa, not preserved, about 110 mm SL, from Merzimen Stream, Euphrates drainage: Lower one, G. rezai, FSJF 3824, 104 mm SL; Tuerkiye: Ciratan Stream, upper Yanarsu drainage, Tigris (Retrieved from Mousavi-Sabet et al. (2022)).

Figure 4. Some intermediate specimens: FFR 4062, Aktoprak Stream, upper Tigris drainage, from the top, 65 mm SL, 67 mm SL, 69 mm SL, 71 mm SL.