Garra elegans (Gunther, 1868)

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 189

Garra elegans

Common name. Mesopotamian garra.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from Garra in Persian Gulf and endorheic basins in Iran by: ● lateral and distal margin of labrum fused with chin skin /○ chest and anterior belly without scales / ○ mid-dorsal area in front of dorsal origin covered by scales / ○ 9+8 branched caudal rays / ○ 17−20 gill rakers / ○ two pairs of normally developed barbels / ○ body brown or grey, usually mottled / ○ eye fully developed. Size up to 87 mm SL.

Distribution. Iraq: Lower Lesser Zab and main stem of Tigris.

Habitat. Large lowland rivers.

Biology. No data.

Conservation status. LC; very poorly known.

Remarks. Distribution very poorly known but thought to occur mainly in lower parts of large rivers. Previously placed in Tylognathus , Hemigarra , or Hemigrammocapoeta . Molecular markers place it close to G. amirhosseini . Garra elegans is usually described as lacking a gular disc, but the disc is fully attached to the chin.

Further reading. Behrens-Chapuis et al. 2015 (molecular phylogeny); Freyhof 2016b (description).

Unlike other Garra species in West Asia, G. elegans seems specialised to large lowland rivers. It was found here, in the middle of Lesser Zab in Iraq. Garra festai ; Ammiq marsh, Lebanon; 45 mm SL.