Oxynoemacheilus marunensis

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 520-521

Oxynoemacheilus marunensis

Common name. Tigris two-spot loach.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Oxynoemacheilus in Tigris drainage by: ○ flank with a midlateral row of 7–10 dark-brown, irregularly shaped, vertically elongated blotches, overlaid by a marmorated pattern / ○ juveniles larger than 20 but smaller than 45 mm SL with poorly developed mottling between midlateral blotches on flank / ○ two distinct and prominent black blotches at

Oxynoemacheilus mediterraneus ; KÖprüçay drainage, Türkiye; 48 mm SL.

posteriormost caudal base, often overlaid by a dark-brown or black chevron-shaped bar ○ / upper lip r with a well-developed median incision / ○ pelvic axillary lobe small but well developed / ○ suborbital groove present in male / ○ lateral line complete, terminating behind vertical of anal base or at caudal base / ○ flank completely covered by scales / ○ caudal deeply emarginate or forked. Size up to 78 mm SL. Distribution. Jarrahi drainage ( Iran), Sirvan ( Iran, Iraq), and upper Tigris and its tributaries ( Türkiye).

Habitat. Moderately fast-flowing and standing waters of streams, backwaters, and springs with muddy bottoms.

Biology. No data.

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. This species has not (yet) been recorded from the Greater and Lesser Zab drainages, where it is replaced by O. euphraticus (Greater Zab) and O. kurdistanicus (Lesser Zab) . It also appears to be absent from the Karkheh and Karun drainages. Molecular characters very slightly differentiate major populations in the Jarrahi, Sirvan, and upper Tigris and may be described as different species if clear morphological differences can be worked out.

Further reading. Sayyadzadeh & Esmaeili 2020 (description).