Luciobarbus conocephalus

Common name. Conehead barbel.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Luciobarbus in Caspian basin and Hari drainage by: ○ 58–70 (usually 61–68) total lateral-line scales / ○ 13–15 gill rakers / ○ upper part of body dark-brown, lower part yellow in life in large individuals / ○ lower lip thin, without median lobe or pad / ○ 8½ branched dorsal rays / ○ back between head and dorsal origin laterally compressed, forming a keel / ○ predorsal length longer than postdorsal length / ○ dorsal long, 15–16 % of body depth in individuals of about 400 mm SL. Size up to about 664 mm SL.

Distribution. Iran: Hari drainage. Morghab, Aral basins, and Chu drainage in Central Asia. In Karakum Canal, Kopetdag, and Uzboi lakes in Turkmenistan.

Habitat. Large rivers and reservoirs, from which fish migrate into tributaries to spawn.

Biology. Poorly known, mostly a freshwater species that does not undertake long migrations.

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. This species is distinguished from L. capito by molecular characters, but no material was available to test whether morphological characters can also distinguish the two. It might be an old species and by this a synonym of L. capito.

Further reading. Berg 1949b (diagnosis, distribution); Bogutskaya et al., in Bănărescu & Bogutskaya 2003a (distribution).