Alburnoides nicolausi

Common name. Lorestan spirlin.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Alburnoides in Euphrates and Tigris drainages by: ● usually 7½ branched dorsal rays / ○ 8–11½, usually 9–10½, branched anal rays / ○ horizontaleyediametersmallerthaninterorbitaldistance / ○ ventral keel scaleless or covered by scales at up to ⅓ its length / ○ snout rounded / ○ mouth terminal, tip of mouth cleft situated at about a horizontal line with lower margin of pupil / ○ no pronounced chin / ○ caudal lobes rounded / ○ 41−49+2−3, usually 42−46+2−3, lateral-line scales / ○ 5−9, usually 7−8, gill rakers. Size up to 89 mm SL.

Distribution. Iran: Nor Abad drainage in Lorestan, a tributary of Karkheh.

Habitat. Hill streams and small rivers with moderate to fast-flowing water and gravel substrate.

Biology. No data.

Conservation status. CR; known only from a small population in a very small area. Desiccation of streams is a major threat, and the species may be at the border of extinction.

Remarks. Alburnoides nicolausi, A. namaki, and A. idignensis are closely related, and future studies may not support them as independent species.

Further reading. Bogutskaya & Coad 2009 (description); Mousavi-Sabet et al. 2015c (review); Eagderi et al. 2019a (phylogeny).