Threatened fishes of the world: Aphanius pluristriatus (Jenkins 1910) (Cyprinodontidae)

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1 aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology Threatened fishes of the world: Aphanius pluristriatus (Jenkins 1910) (Cyprinodontidae) Yazdan Keivany 1 and Hamid Reza Esmaeili 2 1) Department of Natural Resources (Fisheries Division), Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran. keivany@cc.iut.ac.ir 2) Department of Biology, College of Science, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Fars, Iran. hresmaeili22@gmail.com Received: 14 July 2013 Accepted: 15 February 2014 Abstract The systematics, morphology and biology of an endemic fish, the Mond tooth-carp, Aphanius pluristriatus (Jenkins 1910) (Cyprinodontidae) are summarized. A. pluristriatus is a poorly known species from Fasa, located in the Mond River drainage system (Bushehr Basin). This fish is not listed in IUCN s Red Data Book, but it should be included due to criteria such as restricted distribution, destruction of spawning grounds and environmental pollution. Since its first description, its validity has been questioned and a synonymy with A. sophiae (Heckel, 1849) has been suggested. For this reason, its biology has been neglected. However, recently, its validity was confirmed. In this study, the limited data on this fish and its threats are summarized and discussed. Zusammenfassung Systematik, Morphologie und Biologie der endemischen Fischart Aphanius pluristriatus (Jenkins, 1910) (Cyprinodontidae) (Mond-Zahnkarpfen) werden zusammengefasst. A. pluristriatus ist ein wenig bekannter Fisch aus Fasa im Iran, der im Einzugsgebiet des Mond-Flusses (Bushehr- Becken) zu finden ist. Die Art ist nicht in der Roten Liste der IUCN aufgeführt, sollte den Kriterien nach einge - schränkte Verbreitung, Zerstörung der Laichgründe und Umweltverschmutzung beispielsweise jedoch aufgenommen werden. Seit der ersten Beschreibung wurde die Gültigkeit des Namens angezweifelt und als Synonym zu A. sophiae (Heckel, 1849) vorgeschlagen. Aus diesem Grund wurde die Erforschung der Biologie vernachlässigt. Kürzlich aber konnte die Gültigkeit bestätigt werden. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden die wenigen Daten über den Fisch und seine Bedrohung zusammengefasst und ausgewertet. Résumé La systématique, la morphologie et la biologie d un poisson endémique, Aphanius pluristriatus (Jenkins, 1910) (Cyprinodontidae) sont résumées. A. pluristriatus est une espèce mal connue, originaire de Fasa, situé dans le sy - stème de drainage de la Mond River (Bushehr Basin). Ce poisson ne figure pas dans le Red Data Book de l IUCN, mais il devrait y être inclus selon des critères comme une distribution restreinte, la destruction des sites de reprodu - ction et la pollution environnementale. Depuis sa première description, sa validité a été mise en doute et on a suggéré une synonymie avec A. sophiae (Heckel, 1849). C est la raison pour laquelle sa biologie a été négligée. Néanmoins, récemment, sa validité a été confirmée. Dans cet article, les données limitées concernant ce poisson et les menaces qui le guettent ont été résumées et discutées. Sommario La sistematica, la morfologia e la biologia di un pesce endemico, la carpa di Mond, Aphanius pluristriatus (Jenkins 1910) (Cyprinodontidae) sono riassunte. Aphanius pluristriatus è una specie poco nota e conosciuta solo da Fasa, nel bacino idrografico del fiume Mond (bacino di Bushehr). Questo pesce non è presente nella IUCN Red Data Book, ma dovrebbe essere incluso nella lista per valide ragioni quali la distribuzione limitata, la distruzione delle zone di riproduzione e l'inquinamento ambientale. Fin dalla sua prima descrizione, la sua validità è stata messa in dubbio ed è stata suggerita una sinonimia con A. sophiae (Heckel, 1849). Per questo motivo, la sua biologia è stata trascurata. Tuttavia, recentemente, la sua validità è stata confermata. In questo studio, tutte le informazioni disponibili su questo pesce e i fattori che ne mettono in pericolo la sopravvivenza sono riassunti e discussi. INTRODUCTION The species of the toothcarp in the genus Aphanius Nardo, 1827 (Cyprinodontiformes) with about 25 species are the only representatives of the 67 aqua vol. 20 no April 2014

2 Threatened fishes of the world: Aphanius pluristriatus (Jenkins 1910) (Cyprinodontidae) cyprinodontids in the Old World and are widely distributed along the coastal areas of the Mediterranean region to the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf as far as Iran, Iraq and Pakistan (Wildekamp 1993; Coad 2013). The species diversity is highest in the endorheic basins of the mountainous regions of central Anatolia and the Iranian plateau (Coad 2000; Hrbek et al. 2002, 2006; Teimori et al. 2012a, Gholami et al. 2013a). Distribution, taxonomy and biology of Aphanius in Iran have been subject of several works (Coad 1996, 2000; Keivany and Soofiani 2004; Esmaeili et al. 2006; 2009; 2012; Golmoradizadeh et al. 2012; Reichenbacher et al. 2009; Teimori et al. 2012a,b; Gholami et al a, b). However, only basic data on A. pluristriatus exist (e.g., Esmaeili et al. 2012). In Iran, Aphanius is represented by A. dispar (Rüppell 1829), in northern Persian Gulf basins Fig. 1. Iran basins and distribution of Aphanius pluristriatus in Bushehr Basin (modified after Keivany et al. 2014). and by nine endemic species: A. ginaonis (Holly 1929) from a hot spring in Hormuz Basin; A. isfahanensis Hrbek, Keivany & Coad 2006 in Isfahan Basin, another endangered species (Keivany 2013); A. farsicus Teimori, Esmaeili & Reichenbacher 2011 from streams draining into Maharloo Lake, also an endangered species (Keivany & Esmaeili 2013); A. sophiae (Heckel 1847), A. shirini Gholami, Esmaeili, Erpenbeck & Reichenbacher 2013 from Kor River, the three in Fars Basin; A. arakensis Teimori, Esmaeili, Gholami, Zarei & Reichenbacher 2012 in Namak Basin; A. mesopotamicus Coad 2009 and A. vladykovi Coad, 1988 from the Tigris-Euphrates Basin and A. pluristriatus from Bushehr Basin (Esmaeili et al. 2012; Keivany et al. 2014). These endemic species have restricted distributions and most of them are threatened due to drought, human activities, pollution and the introaqua vol. 20 no April

3 Yazdan Keivany and Hamid Reza Esmaeili duction of exotic fishes into their habitats (Esmaeili et al. 2012). The aim of this study is to summarize the available information on A. pluristriatus. Distribution: This species is restricted to some springs and pools in the Bushehr Basin, which drain into the Persian Gulf. So far, it is known from the type locality, Zarjan spring system, east of Shiraz, near Fasa, which flows into the Mond River and in a qanat system near Jahrom (Esmaeili et al. 2010; 2012), which also belongs to the Mond River drainage system (Fig. 1). Identification: The head and body are dark brown. Along the sides of the body in males there are 14 to 16 vertical white stripes, running from the ventral surface to just below the dorsal. The operculum has a number of small brownish irregularly arranged spots. The fins are yellowish brown and the median fins are white-edged. The lower edge of the pectoral is tinged with black. Females lack the flank bars, but may have dark, wavy and irregular vertical patches of pigment. Females also have an oval to lozenge-shaped spot at the central base of their caudal fin, which is often broken up into small spots with a high concentration of melanophores. The opercula in both sexes bear small and irregularly arranged spots (Esmaeili et al. 2012) (Fig. 2). Habitat and ecology: The type locality is the Zarjan spring system, east of Shiraz, near Fasa, which flows into the Mond River in Bushehr Basin, about 135 km southeast of Shiraz. It co-exists with Alburnus mossulensis, Capoeta damascina, Garra rufa, Gambusia holbrooki and Xiphophorus hellerii. Spawning occurs mainly in April to July. The absolute fecundity ranges between eggs with an average of 162 eggs. The sex ratio for 151 collected specimens in 2003 was 1.1F:1M. Threats: The type locality is experiencing Fig. 2. Photo of a male (top) and a female (below) Aphanius pluristriatus in an aquarium. Photo by H. R. Esmaeili. 69 aqua vol. 20 no April 2014

4 Threatened fishes of the world: Aphanius pluristriatus (Jenkins 1910) (Cyprinodontidae) drought for much of the year, especially in recent years, and is subject to destruction and pollution. Most of the springs which were the major habitat of this species have been totally destroyed or turned into concrete canals. However, introduction of the exotic fishes, Xiphophorus hellerii, (Esmaeili et al. 2010) and Gambusis holbrooki is the major threat for the survival of this species (Esmaeili et al. 2012). Fig. 3. Zarjan Spring (top) and a pool connected to it (below) in Fasa, containing Aphanius pluristriatus. Photo by H. R. Esmaeili. BRIEF DISCUSSION Geological events associated with the closing of the Tethys Sea were the major factors in shaping the geological history of Iran. A distinguishing feature of the ichthyofauna of this region is the relative high degree of conservatism of external morphology in spite of substantial genetic divergence (Hrbek and Meyer 2003; Teimori et al. 2012a). However, some of these characters have already been used to identify Aphanius species such as A. baeticus (Doadrio et al. 2002), A. isfahanensis (Hrbek et al. 2006), A. saourensis (Blanco et al. 2006), A. mesopotamicus (Coad 2009), A. farsicus and A. pluristriatus (Esmaeili et al. 2012). Hrbek et al. (2006) postulated that Aphanius isfahanensis is the sister of A. farsicus and A. sophiae and A. isfahanensis diverged from the A. sophiae + A. farsicus lineage at approximately 4.8 million years ago. The divergence of A. sophiae and A. farsicus from each other remains unknown, however, it may have happened in the Late Pleistocene (Gholami et al. 2013a). Aphanius pluristriatus more likely diverged from an Aphanius population in the ancient Kor River due to a prominent re-organization of the drainage systems. The present day A. pluristriatus is thus a relict of the ancient Aphanius population of the Paleo-Kor River. Moreover, the individual geological histories of the endorheic (e.g. Kor, Maharloo) and exorheic basins (Mond, Persian Gulf) of the Fars area, as detailed by Ramsey et al. (2008) and Kehl et al. (2009), may have affected speciation and thus contributed to the unusually high Aphanius species diversity in this region (Gholami et al. 2013a). Unfortunately, the published data on different aspects of A. pluristriatus is very limited. Therefore, effort on the part of scientists and governments should be made in understanding the biology, ecology and behavior of this vulnerable species. One key objective in working with endangered species is to increase the number of individuals of the species concerned by artificially/controlled reproduction in captivity. Unfortunately, there is no policy for preserving this species. We recommend the protection of these localities and preservation of habitats of the species. We also recommend the introduction of the species to suitable nearby water bodies and education of local communities. Much basic ecological information is needed for this species, including habitat requirements, life history and reproduction behavior, and surveys of existing populations. This fish is not listaqua vol. 20 no April

5 Yazdan Keivany and Hamid Reza Esmaeili ed in IUCN s (2013) Red Data Book, but it should be included due to criteria such as restricted distribution and destruction of spawning grounds, desiccation and environmental pollution. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank A. Shiva and M. Ebrahimi, for assistance in the collection of fish material and late Mr. Rostami for logistic support in the field. This study was financially supported by Iran Department of Environment (Grant No to YK), Isfahan University of Technology and Shiraz University. REFERENCES BLANCO, J. L., HRBEK, T. & DOADRIO, I A new species of the genus Aphanius (Nardo 1832) (Actinopterygii, Cyprinodontidae) from Algeria. Zootaxa 1158: COAD, B. W Systematics of the tooth-carp genus Aphanius Nardo, 1827 (Actinopterygii: Cyprinodontidae) in Fars Province, southern Iran. Biologia Bratislava 51: COAD, B. W Distribution of Aphanius species in Iran. Journal of the American Killifish Association 33: COAD, B. 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