Pseudophoxinus turani, Kucuk & Guclu, 2014

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 386-387

Pseudophoxinus turani

Common name. Karasu spring minnow.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Pseudophoxinus in eastern Mediterranean basin by: 38–46+2–3 scales in lateral series / ○ flank with bold, black or dark-grey mid-lateral stripe / ○ lateral line incomplete, with 12–25, usually 16–21, perforated scales / ○ pelvic axillary lobe absent / ○ pelvic long, reaching or overlapping anus / ○ 21–22 abdominal vertebrae / ○ 4–5 scales between pelvic origin and lateral line / ○ 8–11, rarely 13 gill rakers / ○ 10–11 scale rows between the lateral line and dorsal origin. Size up to 93 mm SL.

Distribution. Türkiye: Karasu drainage in northern Orontes catchment.

Habitat. Springs and slow-flowing streams, usually among vegetation.

Biology. No data.

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

Further reading. Küçük & Güçlü 2014 (description).

Last remains of Pseudophoxinus syriacus (large fish) and Paraphanius mento in the drained En Fidje spring near Damascus, Syria.

The fate of the endorheic Damascus basin. The basin of Damascus, with its shallow Pleistocene lakes, emerged only after the outflow of the Hauran basalts that isolated it from the Jordan drainage. The streams Barada and al-Awaj flowed into large shallow lakes east of Damascus. These lakes were filled at least twice, in the middle Pleistocene and around 20,000 years BP, covering 2200 km ² at their maximum extension. During the warmer interglacial period, the lake levels shrank, except for a humid period at approximately 4000–5000 years BP. At the end of the 19 th century, evidence of the lakes still existed, indicating that they were significant hotspots for aquatic biodiversity, as observed by local inhabitants and early explorers. Several fish species, including Pseudophoxinus syriacus , Acanthobrama tricolor , and Tristramella simonis , were identified in the lakes. The lakes have completely dried out, and their remains are no longer visible in the Syrian desert. The Barada, one of the major tributaries of these lakes, has become a sewage drainage system, and no fish seem to remain in that small river. The renowned spring En Fidje, the source of the Barada as referenced in Islamic poetry for its beauty, has been almost entirely extracted for drinking water. The al-Awaj is the sole remaining source of the Damascus basin’s distinctive fish fauna, with its headwater streams comprising a limited number of species. It may be the last surviving remnant of the entire Damascus basin.

Pseudophoxinus zekayi ; ÇÖçelli spring, Ceyhan drainage, Türkiye; ~ 90 mm SL.