Oxynoemacheilus panthera

Common name. Damascus loach.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Oxynoemacheilus in southern Levant by: ○ caudal very slightly emarginate or truncate / ○ lateral line terminating before vertical of dorsal origin / ○ usually a prominent dorsal crest on caudal peduncle / ○ 8½–9½ branched dorsal rays / ○ anterior flank scaleless or with few isolated scales, caudal peduncle with densely set scales / ○ suborbital groove absent in male / ○ body depth at dorsal origin 20–25 % SL. Size up to 77 mm SL.

Distribution. Syria: Barada and Nahr al Awaj drainages west of Damascus; Lebanon: Litani drainage.

Habitat. Standing and slow-flowing waters of springs and streams with mud or gravel bottoms.

Biology. No data.

Conservation status. EN; appears to be declining within its very small range.

Remarks. This species is usually identified in Litani as O. leontinae, a poorly known loach from the Jordan drainage. The few individuals analysed from the Litani draingae host the COI sequences of O. namiri.

Further reading. Krupp 1985d (description, distribution).