Salmo baliki

Common name. Murat trout.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Salmo in Euphrates and Tigris drainages by: ● red spots on flank larger than pupil / ○ red spots on flank irregularly shaped / ○ background colour of flank greyish or brown / ○ usually one, rarely two grey spots or blotches behind eye and on cheek / ○ 3–7 black spots on opercle / ○ few black spots on back and upper part of flank, absent on predorsal area / ○ no black spots on top of head / ○ number of black and red spots not increasing with size / ○ 1–2 dark-brown or grey bands on posterior part of flank / ○ 107–118 lateral-line scales counted until end of hypural complex / ○ 24–28 scales rows between lateral line and dorsal origin. Size up to 270 mm SL.

Distribution. Türkiye: Sinek and Cumaçay in upper Murat drainage, potentially in adjacent streams.

Habitat. Headwater streams with cold, clear water, moderate current, gravelly and pebbly bottom.

Biology. No data.

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

Further reading. Turan et al. 2021b (description).