Capoeta ferdowsii Jouladeh-Roudbar, Eagderi,

Murillo-Ramos, Ghanavi and Doadrio, 2017 – Endemic (Fig. 73)

Capoeta ferdowsii Jouladeh-Roudbar [A.], Eagderi [S.], Murillo-Ramos [L.], Ghanavi [H. R.] & Doadrio [I.] 2017: 138; Type locality: Tang-e Shiv River at Bekr sofla village, Zohreh River drainage, Tigris River basin, Fars Province, Iran, 30°25'26"N, 51°21'55"E. Holotype: IMNRF-UT 1111–61. Paratypes: IMNRF-UT 1111 (8).

Common name: Pr: Siyah mahi Ferdowsi, En: Ferdowsi scraper.

Diagnosis: Body elongate and cylindrical, one set maxillary barbel present, short, reaching vertical of anterior margin of pupil, last unbranched dorsal fin ray moderately ossified, serrated with flexible distal, 15–23 long serrae along its 40–60% of posterior margin, narrowly spaced and moderately strong, 11–13 spin on lower limb, 23–25 circum-peduncular scales, 13–15 scales between dorsal fin origin and lateral line and 8–9 between anal fin origin and lateral line (Jouladeh-Roudbar et al. 2017b).

Meristic characters: D: IV 8–9, A: III 5, P: 15–17, V: 8, GR: 15–18, LL: 68–77, TV:?.

Distribution: Tigris basin (Fig. 74). Found in Zohre and Fahlian River drainage in the Tigris basin.

Taxonomy: Esmaeili et al. (2018) wrongly considered “Karun River drainage, Beshar (Bashar) River at Tale Gah village, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad” as type locality of C. ferdowsii, the mentioned type locality belongs to C. coadi.

Conservation: IUCN: Not Evaluated, PC: Near Threatened B2ab(i,ii,iii). The population of this species is limited to the Zohreh and Fahlian Rivers, which have faced various severe droughts in recent years, and subsequently various habitats have been lost. This species meets the area requirements under criterion B for Critically Endangered and it is known from one location. However, continuing declines or extreme fluctuations in EOO, AOO, habitat quality or population size are possible but uncertain. The effects of water extraction and agriculture and pollution on this species are unknown and we classified it as Near Threatened B2ab(i,ii,iii).