A few studies have looked at this genus with a larger geographic perspective, such as that of Levin et al. (2012), who provided a phylogenetic framework of the genus. Alwan (2010) intensively studied the C. damascina species group, and Geiger et al. ( 2014) provided additional molecular data on Mediterranean species of Capoeta. Alwan (2010) conclusively demonstrated that C. angorae from the Mediterranean basin is a synonym of C. damascina, a view also supported by Levin et al. (2012) and Geiger et al. (2014).However, despite all these studies, the species diversity of Capoeta in Anatolia has not been fully resolved, and both Levin et al. (2012) andGeiger et al. (2014) found one group of populations in the Büyük Menderes and Dalaman rivers that was well distinguished from its sister species, C. bergamae, by the molecular methods applied. Here we study Capoeta from the Büyük Menderes River as well as from the streams Dalaman, Tersakan, and Namnam, with the aim of testing whether this molecular lineage might be a species different from C. bergamae and other Capoeta species of the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent Central Anatolia.
Materials and methodsFish were caught using pulsed DC electrofishing equipment. The material is deposited in the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University Zoology Museum of the Faculty of Fisheries, Rize (FRR) and İstanbul University, Science Faculty, Hydrobiology Museum, İstanbul (IUSHM). Measurements were made using digital calipers (0.1 mm accuracy). Hubbs and Lagler (1947) were followed in counts and measurements except as follows: head width at anterior eye margin: distance between anterior margins of eyes; head width at posterior eye margin: distance between posterior margins of eyes; head depth: through eye; snout width: at level of nostrils; head depth at snout: at level of nostrils; mouth width: measured between corners of mouth. Lateral line scale count includes scales on the caudal-fin base. The last 2 branched dorsal-and anal-fin rays, which articulate on a single pterygiophore, were counted as 1½. In the descriptions, numbers in parentheses after a count indicate the number of specimens in which this count was observed. To determine the sex of fishes, gonads were checked under a stereomicroscope.Morphometric and meristic data of C. damascina, C.