Acanthobrama punctulata (Kessler, 1877)

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 279-280

Acanthobrama punctulata

Common name. Caucasian bream.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Acanthobrama by: ○ pharyngeal teeth in two rows / ○ 60−87 total lateral-line scales / ○ 12−19½, usually 15−17½, branched anal rays / ○ 12−17 gill rakers / ○ usually 44−45 total vertebrae / ○ 7−9½, usually 8½, branched dorsal rays. Size up to 230 mm SL.

Distribution. Sefid ( Iran) and coastal rivers north to Kura.

Habitat. All types of standing or slow to fast-flowing waters, such as larger streams, rivers, reservoirs, and lakes, even in moderately polluted waters.

Biology. Lives up to 7 years. Matures at 1–2 years (males) and 2–3 years (females) and 80–120 mm TL. Spawns

May–August in shallow, gravel-bottomed streams at a water temperature of 14–27°C.

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. Often placed in Acanthalburnus , but molecular data showed that this genus should be synonymised with Acanthobrama . Still known as Acanthobrama microlepis , a name not available. Abramis microlepis is a junior secondary homonym of Alburnus microlepis Heckel, 1843 , when placed in Alburnus by Kamensky (1901). It was replaced by Alburnus punctulatus , a former junior synonym, by Berg (1916) and is permanently invalid because junior homonyms and substitute names are still treated as synonyms.

Acanthobrama telavivensis ; Israel; ~ 75 mm SL. © M. Ford.

Further reading. Kamensky 1901; Berg 1916 (generic placement); Abdurakhmanov 1962, Elanidze 1983 (review, biology); Türkmen et al. 2001 (growth, reproduction); Perea et al. 2010 (phylogeny); Küçük et al. 2014 (generic position); Coad 2021b (biology, distribution).