Pseudophoxinus kervillei ( Pellegrin, 1911 )

Saad, Adib, Çiçek, Erdoğan, Esmaeili, Hamid Reza, Fricke, Ronald, Sungur, Sevil & Eagderi, Soheil, 2023, Freshwater fishes of Syria: a revised and updated annotated checklist- 2023, Zootaxa 5350 (1), pp. 1-62 : 30-31

Pseudophoxinus kervillei ( Pellegrin, 1911) [N]—Orontes minnow; Bakhsoon

Taxonomy. Original description: Pseudophoxinus kervillei Pellegrin, 1911: 109 [Orontes River near its outlet from Lake Homs (Lake Qattinah), Syria, elevation 490 metres, ca. 34°39’47.7”N 36°37’12.4”E; lectotype: MNHN 1910-0018 (36 mm SL, poor condition); lectotype selected by Krupp & Schneider (1989: 377)].—Syrian synonyms: None.—Revisions: Krupp & Schneider (1989: 377).—Illustration: Krupp & Schneider (1989: 377, fig. 24).

Status in Syria. Recorded from Syria in original description by Pellegrin (1911: 109) subsequently reported by Beckman (1962: 133) as Phoxinellus kervillei, Saad et al. (2006, 2009 ).—Syrian material: BMNH, MNHN, MSL.

Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Syria: Orontes River basin.—Distribution in River Basin: 4-Orontes.— General distribution: Asia Minor and Middle East: Orontes River basin ( Syria and Turkey).—Distribution in Ecoregion: 437-Orontes.—Habitat: This species is found in springs, streams, and rivers, usually with clear waters and dense vegetation. It is also found in the littoral zone of Lake Kinneret. Freshwater.

Economic importance. No commercial importance.

Conservation. Conservation status in Syria: Unknown.—IUCN: NE (2023).—Threats:Unknown.—High sensitivity to human activities.—Not considered as a keystone species.—Decline status: Unknown.—High priority for conservation action.

Remarks. In the Orontes basin, both P. kervillei and P. libani are found. Based on the molecular data presented by Geiger et al. (2014), it is likely that P. kervillei and P. libani are synonyms. In fact, Bariche & Freyhof (2016) considered P. kervillei to be synonymous with P. libani . Therefore, comparative studies should be used to clarify these situations.