Cobitis bilseli, Battalgil, 1942

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 443-445

Cobitis bilseli

Common name. Great Beyşehir spined loach.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Cobitis in Mediterranean basin east of Eşen and endorheic basins in Central Anatolia by: ● one lamina circularis on pectoral in male, base of pectoral ray adjacent to lamina circularis swollen / ● a short skin-flap before genital papilla. Size up to 195 mm SL.

often small and densely set, or some or all blotches in Z4 are divided into 2 or more elements, resulting in a colour pattern of two rows of blotches (similar to C. pirii , see below). In other individuals, Z4 is dissociated into a band of small, irregularly shaped blotches and spots, or the spots and blotches are dispersed on the flank, forming an open field of blotches and spots. This large variability in colour pattern in C. battalgilae makes it very difficult to identify this species, especially if only few individuals are available.

Further reading. Băcescu 1962 (description); Freyhof et al. 2018c (description).

Distribution. Türkiye: Lake Beyşehir basin, in streams Sarıöz (Eylikler) and Sarıçay north of Beyşehir (and possibly others). Also, in river flowing from Lake Beyşehir to Lake Suğla and seasonally in outflow of Lake Beyşehir, possibly more widespread.

Habitat. Running waters with gravel or sand bottoms, often with dense submerged vegetation.

Biology. No data.

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

Remarks. This is the largest spined loach in the world. It was placed in a separate subgenus, Beyshehiria , but belongs to a group of species around C. simplicispina . It is related

to the geographically adjacent C. pirii from Lake Eğirdir basin. It is the only species of this species group having one lamina circularis, while all other species have two.

Further reading. Battalgil 1942 (description); Freyhof et al. 2018c (description).

Doors regulating the water level of Lake Beyşehir, a seasonal habitat of Cobitis bilseli .

Cobitis derzhavini ; Kara-Su in Kura drainage, Azerbaijan; female, 73 mm SL.

Cobitis derzhavini ; Kara-Su in Kura drainage, Azerbaijan; male, 66 mm SL.