Key to species of Barbus in the Middle East

1a 39–44 total vertebrae; small-sized fish reaching about 200 mm SL............................................... 2

1b 44–49 total vertebrae; large-sized fish reaching usually 300–500 mm SL.......................................... 5

2a Lower lip with a median lobe............................................................................. 3

2b Lower lip with a median swollen pad...................................................................... 4

3a 62–71 total lateral line scales; 6–8 gill rakers..................................................... B. niluferensis

3b 52–61 total lateral line scales; 8–11 gill rakers.................................................. B. pergamonensis

4a 69–87 lateral line scales........................................................................ B. miliaris

4b 50–66 lateral line scales...................................................... B. cyri / B. lacerta / B. karunensis

5a Lower lip with median lobe............................................................................. 6

5b Lower lip with median swollen pad....................................................................... 8

6a Flank plain-brown or with many minute dark-brown spots in adults...................................... B. rionicus

6b Flank, back and head with many irregularly shaped black or brown spots, often also with large, dark-brown blotches in juve- niles and adults........................................................................................ 7

7a Lateral line with 54–58 scales; anal fin longer in female than in male................................... B. escherichii

7b Lateral line with 58–71 scales; anal fin of equal length in female and in male............................. B. anatolicus

8a Head length 1.2–1.5 times in body depth; snout length 1.5–1.7 times interorbital distance.................... B. oligolepis

8a Head length 1.0–1.2 times body depth; snout length 1.4–1.5 times interorbital distance....................... B. tauricus