Glyptothorax daemon, Freyhof, Kaya, Abdullah & Geiger, 2021

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 608-609

Glyptothorax daemon

Common name. Ghost torrent catfish.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Glyptothorax in West Asia by: ○ thoracic adhesive apparatus with several, long anteromedial striae, 1.1–1.3 times longer than wide, extending to base of last pectoral ray, or to posterior limit of pectoral base / ○ thoracic adhesive apparatus strongly elevated, completely situated on a horse-shoe shaped elevation / ○ medial pit open, without striae / ○ dorsal and lateral head, back and flank with small roundish warts / ○ adipose short, its length 0.7–1.1 times larger than distance between base of last dorsal ray and adipose origin / ○ caudal lobes rounded / ○ caudal-peduncle 1.6–2.1 times in its length / ○ maxillary barbel shorter than head, 72–85 % HL / ○ inner mandibular barbel 21–30 % HL / ○ outer mandibular barbel 42–51 % HL / ○ 7–11 serrae on pectoral spine / ○ caudal moderately forked, shortest middle caudal ray 55–59 % of longest ray of upper caudal lobe / ○ fins usually without, rarely with very indistinct yellow tips / ○ flank dark-grey or black with few small black spots, rarely pale-brown. Size up to 125 mm SL, likely to grow larger.

Distribution. Türkiye and Iraq: Upper Tigris and Great Zab drainages.

Habitat. Fast-flowing water in mountain streams, rapids, and riffles on rocky or gravelly bottoms.

Biology. Nocturnal, hiding under rocks during day. Feeds on benthic invertebrates.

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. Glyptothorax daemon populations in upper Tigris may be quite isolated from each other, as they show a shallow but consistent separation in their mtDNA. All these populations belong to one old species, and are not to be described as own species in the future, ignoring the absence of morphological differences.

Further reading. Freyhof et al. 2021c (description).

Glyptothorax galaxias ; Karun drainage, Iran; 113 mm SL.