Tristramella magdalenae ( Lortet, 1883 )

Çiçek, Erdoğan, Fricke, Ronald, Sungur, Sevil, Çapar, Osman Bahadir & Golani, Daniel, 2023, Freshwater fishes of Israel; a revised and updated annotated checklist- 2023, Zootaxa 5369 (4), pp. 451-484 : 468

Tristramella magdalenae ( Lortet, 1883) [N]— Damascus tristramella; None

Taxonomy. Original description: Chromis magdalenae Lortet, 1883: 146 , Pl. 9 (fig. 2) [Lakes Hula and Tiberias (Galilée), Israel; lakes east of Damascus ( Syria); syntypes: BMNH 1898.12.5.1-2 (2) (Damascus, Syria), 1898.12.5.3- 4 (2) (Damascus, Syria); MCZ 25533 (1) (Damascus, Syria); MHNG 611.21 (2); MNHN 1883-1139 (1) ( Israel); SMF 187 (1); SMNS 3187 (1, lost) (Bahret-el-Hidjane near Damascus, Syria); USNM 48023 (1) ( Syria)].—Israeli synonyms: None.—Revisions: Trewavas (1942: 535).—Illustration: None.

Status in Israel. Recorded from Syria in original description by Lortet (1883: 141; subsequently reported by Trewavas (1942), Steinitz and Ben-Tuvia (1960) Tristram (1884: 165, 167) as Chromis simonis, Beckman (1962: 65 as Tristramella simonis magdalenae ) and Hurani (2005).—Syrian material: MGHN, MSL.

Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Israel: Hula and Lake Kinneret.—Distribution in River Basin: 3-Kinneret Basin.—General distribution: Middle East: swamps and pools in Damascus area ( Syria) and previously lake Hula ( Israel).—Distribution in Ecoregion: 438- Jordan River.—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 Israel: Extirpated.—IUCN: EX ( IUCN 2023 as Tristramella magdelainae ).— Threats: Unknown.—Moderate sensitivity to human activities.—Not considered as a keystone species.—Decline status: Extinct.—Moderate priority for conservation action.

Remarks. This species existed in the past in Lake Hula and was extinct after the destruction of the lake (personel communication M Goren).