Paracobitis persa Freyhof, Esmaeili, Sayyadzadeh and Geiger, 2014

Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash, Ghanavi, Hamid Reza & Doadrio, Ignacio, 2020, Fig. 4 in Fig. 4 in Fig. 3 in Fig. 21. Sesarmops mora n in Paralbunea dayriti, Zoological Studies 59 (21), pp. 1-303 : 185-186

Paracobitis persa Freyhof, Esmaeili, Sayyadzadeh and Geiger, 2014 – Endemic ( Fig. 346)

Paracobitis persa Freyhof [J.], Esmaeili [H. R.], Sayyadzadeh [G.] & Geiger [M. F.] 2014: 29; Type locality: Fars Province, Maloosjan spring east of Beiza, Kor basin, 29°52'23"N, 52°27'37"E, Iran. Holotype: CM-CBSU J2659. Paratypes: FSJF 3450 (3); ZM-CBSU J2663–J2671 (9), J2689–J2694 (6).

Common name: Pr: Loch-e tajdar-e Parsi, Sagmahi-e tajdar-e Parsi, En: Persian crested loach.

Diagnosis: Shallow adipose crest on caudal peduncle, its depth at the highest point being 2.1–3.2% SL, tube of the anterior nostril not reaching beyond, the posterior tip of the posterior nostril when folded back and the mid lateral stripe being always disconnected from the blotches and saddles on the caudal adipose crest.

Meristic characters: D: 7, A: 5, P: 9–11, V: 7–8, LL: complete, SC: just flank behind dorsal fin origin, DP: weak and wide, PA: present, SOG: absent.

Distribution: Kor basin ( Fig. 347). Found in Maloosjan spring and Sivand Rivers.

Taxonomy.

Conservation: IUCN: Not Evaluated, PC: Critically Endangered B2ab(i,ii,iii). P. persa is endemic to the endorheic Kor River basin, southern Iran. Its populations have declined due to various ecological changes in its habitats, severe drought and water extraction for human consumption and agricultural activities. Past distributions included the Malosjan Spring and Sivand River, both of which are situated in the endorheic Kor River basin in southern Iran. However, the population at the former location has gone extince, while the later only occurs in a single locatilty. The Maloosjan Spring is a very small stream, about 1 m wide draining to a large pool and threated by water pollution, hydrological alteration and Intensive aquaculture ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ). The estimated area of occupancy and extent of occurrence are both less than 10 km 2. Therefore, we classified it as Critically Endangered.