Eidinemacheilus proudlovei, a new subterranean loach from Iraqi Kurdistan (Teleostei; Nemacheilidae)

Abstract

Eidinemacheilus proudlovei, new species, is described from subterranean waters in the Little Zab River drainage in Iraqi Kurdistan. After the discovery of E. smithi in 1976, E. proudlovei is the second troglomorphic nemacheilid loach found in the Middle East and the second species placed in Eidinemacheilus. Eidinemacheilus proudlovei is distinguished from E. smithi by having 8+8 or 8+7 branched caudal-fin rays, no adipose keel on the caudal peduncle, enlarged jaws and a fully developed head canal system. It furthers differs substantially in its DNA barcode (>8% K2P distance) from all other nemacheilid loaches in the Middle East, Europe and Western India.

A new record of Iranian subterranean fishes reveals the potential presence of a large freshwater aquifer in the Zagros Mountains

“…Moreover, if Mahjoorazad and Coad () did collect G. typhlops from the Simarreh River, then it is possible that a vast subterranean aquifer system with a minimum length of 162 km is inhabited by these fish species in the Iranian Zagros. Given the considerable size of this area this aquifer should provide water to other springs where subterranean fishes could be washed out during or after heavy rainfall, a phenomenon recently described from Iraqi Kurdistan (Freyhof, Abdullah, Ararat, Ibrahim, & Geiger, ).…”

A New Locality for the Blind Loach, Eidinemacheilus smithi (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) in Iranian Zagros: A Morpho-Molecular Approach

“…From this locality, Greenwood [17] named another fish species, Noemacheilus smithi Greenwood, 1976 (family Nemacheilidae). Hashemzadeh Segherloo et al [18] transferred the species to Eidinemacheilus, a genus of loaches with only two cave-dwelling species: E. smithi is endemic to an aquifer in the Karun River drainage in the Zagros Mountains, and E. proudlovei Freyhof, Abdullah, Ararat, Ibrahim and Geiger, 2016, is endemic to subterranean waters in the Little Zab River drainage in Iraqi Kurdistan [19].…”

eDNA metabarcoding as a means to assess distribution of subterranean fish communities: Iranian blind cave fishes as a case study

“…In the Zagros Mountains of western Iran and eastern Iraq, the occurrence of several different cave fish species—including the blind Iran cave loach ( Eidinemacheilus smithi ; Greenwood, 1976), blind Iraqi Kurdish subterranean loach ( Eidinemacheilus proudlovei ; Freyhof et al, 2016), blind Iran cave barb ( Garra typhlops ; Bruun & Kaiser, 1944), blind Lorestan cave barb ( Garra lorestanensis ; Mousavi‐Sabet & Eagderi, 2016), blind Tashan cave barb ( Garra tashanensis ; Mousavi‐Sabet et al, 2016), blind Iraq subterranean barb ( Garra widdowsoni ; Trewavas, 1955), and an undescribed species—have been reported (Freyhof et al, 2016; Hashemzadeh Segherloo et al, 2016, 2017, 2018; Mahjoorazad & Coad, 2009; Mousavi‐Sabet & Eagderi, 2016; Mousavi‐Sabet et al, 2016). These species have been described only from single localities where the aquifer emerges from the ground or from accessible cave habitats.…”