Published November 12, 2025 | Version v1
Taxonomic treatment Open

Cyprinion acinaces Banister & Clarke 1977

Description

Cyprinion acinaces

Common name. Arabian lotak.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Cyprinion in Arabian Peninsula by: ● 16−18 circumpeduncular scales / ○ last unbranched dorsal ray long, thick, serrated along almost entire length in large individuals / ○ 37−41, usually 38−40, total lateral-line scales / ○ 6−7 scales between lateral line and dorsal origin. Size up to 110 mm SL.

Distribution. Yemen: Wadi Hadhramaut drainage. Saudi Arabia: Coastal wadis of Hijaz mountains such as Hediyah, Sulayma, and wadis near Jeddah.

Habitat. Wadis with high seasonal fluctuations in discharge, usually over bare rock or gravel, rarely over soft substrate.

Biology. Feeds on periphyton.

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. Cyprinion acinaces hijazi from northern Saudi Arabia is treated as a synonym, but further study is encouraged to determine whether it may be a separate species.

Further reading. Banister & Clarke 1977 (description); Krupp 1983 (subspecies); Freyhof et al. 2020 (distribution, identification).

Notes

Published as part of Freyhof, Jörg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, GmbH, Berlin / Boston :De Gruyter on page 164, DOI: 10.1515/9783111677811, http://zenodo.org/record/17881367

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Additional details

References

  • Banister, K. E. & M. A. Clarke. 1977. The freshwater fishes of the Arabian Peninsula. Pp 111 - 154. in: M. Rice. (Ed.) The scientific results of the Oman flora and fauna survey 1975. Journal Oman Studies (Special Report).
  • Krupp, F. 1983. Fishes of Saudi Arabia. Freshwater fishes of Saudi Arabia and adjacent regions of the Arabian Peninsula. Fauna of Saudi Arabia 5: 568-636.
  • Freyhof, J. & B. Yogurtcuoglu. 2020. A proposal for a new generic structure of the killifish family Aphaniidae, with the description of Aphaniops teimorii (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes). Zootaxa 4810: 421-451. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4810.3.2