Cobitis phrygica, Battalgazi, 1944

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 455-456

Cobitis phrygica

Common name. Phrygian spined loach.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Cobitis in Central Anatolia and southern Aegean basin by: ○ a series of midlateral blotches in Z4 or Gambetta zones dissociated into a pattern of many irregularly shaped small or medium-sized spots and blotches / ○ flank below Z4, usually pigmented / ○ external part of suborbital spine simple / ○ no black spot at upper caudal base / ○ two laminae circularis in male. Size up to 120 mm SL.

Distribution. Türkiye: Salda basin, upper Eşen, and Dalaman drainages. In Aksu, north of Bucak, and in one spring area east of Gemiş in Acıgöl basin.

Habitat. Flowing and standing waters of springs and streams with sandy or muddy bottoms, often with dense submerged vegetation.

Biology. No data.

Conservation status. EN; largest populations in Dalaman and Eşen. Extirpated from Acıgöl basin. Other populations are confined to small areas.

Remarks. Often treated as a synonym of C. simplicispina , but both species are not closely related. The colour pattern in C. phrygica is very variable within and

between populations, making it very difficult to identify. Some individuals have the flank pattern well organised in Gambetta zones; in others, the flank is covered by small spots. Also, all kinds of intermediate colour patterns are found, ranging from individuals with wellorganised Gambetta zones to others with Gambetta zones completely dissociated.

Further reading. Battalgazi 1944 (description); Erk’akan et al. 1999 (diagnosis); Bohlen et al. 2006 (molecular phylogeny); Freyhof et al. 2018c (diagnosis, distribution).

Cobitis pirii ; Lake Eğirdir basin, Türkiye; female, 74 mm SL.