Turcichondrostoma fahirae

Common name. Tefenni nase.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from species of Chondrostoma in Central Anatolia, Aegean, Marmara, and Black Sea basins by: ● no cornified sheath covering lower lip / ● 12−14 gill rakers / ○ 44−54 total lateral-line scales / ○ 5−5 pharyngeal teeth / ○ 8½ branched dorsal rays / ○ usually 8½ branched anal rays. Size up to 127 mm SL.

Distribution. Türkiye: Kırkpınar (Başpınar) spring near Karamusa (Tefenni), Değirmendere flowing into Karamanlı reservoir, Lake Karatas, Elmacık reservoir and Bozçay in Burdur basin.

Habitat. Springs and streams with gravel substrate.

Biology. No data.

Conservation status. EN; appears to be declining within its very small range. Extirpated from Lake Karataş as this lake has dried out in recent years.

Remarks. The single species included in this genus had previously been classified as Pseudophoxinus. Molecular data indicate that this species is closely related to Chondrostoma. Available molecular data are contradictory, and some molecular analysis relate Turcichondrostoma with Chondrostoma soetta and C. kneri from the Adriatic basin in Europe. Further studies are required to resolve the generic position of T. fahirae.

Further reading. Ladiges 1960 (description); Bogutskaya 1992 (review; as Pseudophoxinus fahirae); Freyhof & Özuluğ 2010b (placement in Chondrostoma); Güçlü et al. 2018 (morphology); Çiftçi et al. 2020 (phylogeny); Turan et al. 2021a (description).