Review of the genus Cobitis in the Middle East, with the description of eight new species (Teleostei: Cobitidae)
Author
Freyhof, Jörg
Author
Bayçelebi, Esra
Author
Geiger, Matthias
text
Zootaxa
2018
2018-12-21
4535
1
1
75
journal article
27727
10.11646/zootaxa.4535.1.1
a047bcd9-ab65-4e3f-b07a-c830c7af1072
1175-5326
2615773
ABE9DB1F-7378-4571-90C4-A3FDB66527F3
Cobitis emrei
,
new species
(
Fig. 39–41
)
Holotype
.
ZFMK
ICH-099187
,
56
mm
SL;
Turkey
:
Adapazarı
(
Sakarya
) prov.: stream
Kurtköy
flowing to
Lake Sapanca
at
Kurtköy
, 40.713 30.175.
Paratypes
.
FSJF 1960
,
10
,
48–77
mm
SL; same data as holotype
.
Material used in molecular genetic analysis.
FSJF DNA-173;
Turkey
: Adapazarı (
Sakarya
) prov.: stream Kurtköy flowing to Lake Sapanca at Kurtköy, 40.712 30.175. (GenBank accession numbers:
KJ553154
,
KJ553118
).
Diagnosis.
Cobitis emrei
is distinguished from other
Cobitis
species in the Black Sea basins by a combination of characters, none of them unique. It is distinguished from
C. splendens
by the pigmentation in Z3 reaching to between the nape and the vertical of the dorsal-fin origin or even to the caudal peduncle in the males (vs. Z3 reduced to about head length), the pigmentation in Z3 usually wider than zone Z2 (vs. narrower or of equal width), the blotches in Z4 being horizontally elongate, often very densely set and fused into short or longer stripes in the male and some female (vs. Z4 anterior to dorsal-fin origin, irregularly roundish or squarish, well separate, very rarely fused into a stripe) and the back with 7–11 dark-brown large, roundish or squarish blotches, in one individual examined, blotches fused (vs. a marmorate pattern on the back or the blotches very indistinct from each other and irregularly shaped).
Cobitis emrei
is distinguished from
C. taenia
,
C. pontica
and
C. elongatoides
by having horizontally elongate blotches in Z4 often very densely set and fused into short or longer stripes in the male and some female (vs. blotches vertically elongate, roundish, triangular or squarish, not fused), the focal zone in the subdorsal scales small, about ¼ or less than 1/3 of the maximum scale diameter (vs. large about 1/3 or more in
C. taenia
) and the black spot at the upper caudal-fin base roundish or ovoid, larger than the eye diameter in the male (vs. usually comma-shaped, smaller than the eye diameter in the male and female
C. taenia
) and Z3 fully covered by very small spots forming a sand-like pattern in the female (vs. pigmentation in Z3 not sand-like in
C. taenia
and
C. pontica
).
FIGURE 39.
Cobitis emrei
, left column from the top: males, ZFMK ICH-099187, holotype, 56 mm SL; paratypes, FSJF 1960, 54 mm SL, 48 mm SL; right column from the top: females, 77 mm SL, 72 mm SL, 69 mm SL female; Turkey: Lake Sapanca basin.
Cobitis emrei
is distinguished from
C. tanaitica
by the pigmentation in Z3 reaching to between the nape and the vertical of the dorsal-fin origin or even to the caudal peduncle in the males (vs. Z3 usually reaching to a point anterior to the dorsal-fin base), the blotches in Z4 being horizontally elongate, often very densely set and fused into short or longer stripes in the males (vs. vertically elongate, not fused) and Z3 wider than Z2 (vs. usually Z3 narrower Z2).
Cobitis emrei
is distinguished from
C. fahireae
from the
Aegean
Sea basin by having a large, roundish or ovoid black spot at the upper caudal-fin base, larger than eye diameter in the males (vs. usually comma-shaped, smaller than eye diameter in the male and female or spot absent). It is distinguished from
C. afifeae
,
C. dorademiri
,
C. phrygica
,
C. puncticulata
and
C. simplicispina
by having one laminae circularis in the males (vs. two).
Cobitis emrei
is distinguished from
C. saniae
by having the base of the lamina circularis narrowly attached to the pectoralfin ray (vs. widely connected).
Description.
See
Figures 49–51
for general appearance and
Table 5
for morphometric data of the
holotype
and the
10 paratypes
. Greatest body depth at or slightly anterior to dorsal-fin origin, decreasing towards caudal-fin base. Head profile slightly convex, head length 1.1
–
1.4 times in body depth. Snout oblong or pointed, its length 0.6
–
0.8 times in postorbital length. Eye diameter 0 2
–
0 4 times in head depth at eye, 1.0
–
2.0 times in interorbital width. Caudal peduncle 1.0
–
1.6 times longer than deep.
Pelvic axillary lobe present or absent. Margin of dorsal fin convex and margin of anal fin convex. Caudal fin truncate or slightly rounded. No dorsal keel on caudal peduncle and a shallow ventral keel on caudal peduncle. External part of the suborbital spine bifurcate, reaching to or slightly beyond centre of eye. Largest recorded specimen
77 mm
SL.
FIGURE 40.
Cobitis emrei
, left column from the top: males, ZFMK ICH-099187, holotype, 56 mm SL; paratypes, FSJF 1960, 54 mm SL, 48 mm SL; right column from the top: females, 77 mm SL, 72 mm SL, 69 mm SL; Turkey: Lake Sapanca basin.
FIGURE 41.
Cobitis emrei
, FSJF 1960, 55 mm SL, male; Turkey: stream Kurtköy flowing to Lake Sapanca.
Dorsal fin with 3 unbranched and 6½ (4) and 7½ (7) branched rays. Anal fin with 3 unbranched and 5½ branched rays. Caudal fin with 6+5 branched rays in the male, 7+7 branched rays in the
5 males
, 7+
6 in
the female and 7+
7 in
the
4 females
. Pectoral fin with 8 (9) and 9 (2) branched rays and pelvic fin with 6 (10) and 5 (1) branched rays. Body completely covered by embedded scales, except on belly and breast. Scales small. Focal zone in subdorsal scales about 1/4 or less than 1/3 of vertical scale diameter. Lateral line short, with 3–6 pores or an open slit in skin along lateral line. Lips (
Fig. 54
) thin and mental lobes of lower lip short, usually well separated from lower lip, rarely produced into a short barbel-like process. Rostral barbel reaching base of mandibular barbel. Mandibular barbel reaching to beyond vertical of nostril or corner of eye. Maxillary barbel reaching vertical of front border or usually middle of eye.
TABLE 5.
Morphometric data of
Cobitis emrei
(holotype ZFMK ICH 0 99187 and paratypes FSJF 1960; n = 10. The calculations include the holotype.
holotype |
holotype & paratypes |
male |
male |
female |
range |
mean |
range |
mean |
SL (mm) |
56 |
48–56 |
69-77 |
In percent of standard length |
Head length |
21.9 |
21.4–23.8 |
22.2 |
19.8–21.2 |
20.5 |
Predorsal length |
51.9 |
51.9–58.9 |
54.1 |
53.0–54.9 |
53.8 |
Prepelvic length |
53.2 |
52.0–57.5 |
54.8 |
52.3–55.2 |
53.5 |
Preanal length |
77.8 |
77.8–80.7 |
79.6 |
79.8–81.2 |
80.5 |
Body depth at dorsal-fin origin |
18.3 |
16.2–18.3 |
17.4 |
17.0–18.4 |
17.9 |
Body width at dorsal-fin origin |
9.1 |
8.9–10.8 |
9.6 |
10.1–11.8 |
10.9 |
Depth of caudal peduncle |
9.3 |
10.7–12.0 |
11.3 |
9.4–10.2 |
9.8 |
Length of caudal peduncle |
12.0 |
11.5–16.6 |
13.8 |
12.4–15.2 |
13.9 |
Dorsal-fin depth |
18.7 |
20.1–21.9 |
20.8 |
17.5–19.2 |
18.2 |
Caudal-fin length |
16.6 |
18.1–20.9 |
18.7 |
15.4–19.0 |
17.2 |
Pectoral-fin length |
20.1 |
21.3–22.6 |
21.7 |
13.4–16.4 |
14.4 |
Pelvic-fin length |
18.1 |
15.2–16.9 |
16.0 |
12.9–14.5 |
13.4 |
In percent of head length |
Snout length |
41 |
35–41 |
38.1 |
38–42 |
40.7 |
Postorbital distance |
52 |
51–58 |
54.0 |
50–57 |
53.4 |
Head depth at eye |
51 |
47–55 |
51.3 |
52–55 |
53.8 |
Eye diameter |
16 |
13–18 |
15.8 |
17–19 |
17.8 |
Interorbital width |
12 |
9–14 |
12.3 |
17–19 |
17.8 |
Sexual dimorphism.
Males have a longer pectoral fin than females (21
–
23% SL vs. 13
–
16) and one lamina circularis (vs. absent).
Colouration.
Background colour whitish with dark-brown pigmentation pattern organised in one mid-dorsal and four lateral zones. Mid-dorsal pigmentation consist of a series of 14–20, roundish blotches, often irregularlyshaped blotches, forming a marbled pattern, fused into short or long dark-brown stripes in few individuals. Zone Z1 fully covered by very small spots forming a sand-like pattern, as wide as or wider than Z2, reaching on predorsal body to interspaces of mid-dorsal blotches, fused with Z2 and Z3 on postdorsal flank. Zone Z2 with elongate blotches larger than eye, usually fused on anterior part of flank in male, especially on flank anterior to dorsal-fin origin. Zone Z3 fully covered by very small spots forming a sand-like pattern, confluent with zone Z1 and Z2 on postdorsal flank, much wider than Z2. Pigmentation in Zone Z4 with 5–7 predorsal, 2–3 subdorsal and 5–8 postdorsal blotches, blotches elongate, usually much longer than wide, often confluent and forming short stripes. A single, distinct, eye sized, black spot at upper caudal-fin base. Upper part of head, opercle and snout covered by large spots or short vermiculation. A dark-brown stripe from eye to snout. Fins hyaline. Caudal fin with 5–7 and dorsal fin with 5–8 dark, sometimes irregularly-shaped bars. Few dark-brown spots in paired fins. Barbels whitish.
Etymology.
Named for Yunus Emre (about
1238–1320
) the folk poet, philosopher and Sufi mystic who is the pioneer of Turkish poetry in
Anatolia
. A noun in genitive, indeclinable.
Distribution.
Cobitis emrei
has been only identified from the Lake Sapanca basin in
Turkey
.
Remarks.
Erk'akan
et al
. (1999) identified this species as
C. vardarensis
, which is widespread in the river of the European Aegean Sea basin. Our molecular data clearly reject this hypothesis. While
C. vardarensis
and
C.
emrei
, both belong to the
C. taenia
species group, they are not closely related. Erk'akan
et al
. (1998) report
C. vardarensis
also from the lower Sakarya River drainage, but we did not find
Cobitis
in the lower Sakarya, and suspect that these populations might be identified as
C. emrei
.
Cobitis emrei
seems to be closer to
C
.
elongatoides
from the Danube and Elbe drainages,
C. pontica
from the rivers south of the Danube in
Bulgaria
and Thrace and
C. tanaitica
from the northern Black Sea basin.
Cobitis emrei
is superficially very similar to
C. elongatoides
and is distinguished by small details in the colour pattern only. Both species are well distinguished by molecular characters and might represent almost real cryptic species. Based on DNA barcoding
C. emrei
is well separated from all other included
Cobitis
, and by a minimum K2P distance of 2.5% to
C. tanaitica
, which is its closest relative. It is also supported by the PTP approach as distinct entity.