Maharlo Killifish

biology_ecology

Habitat. Small freshwater or brackish springs and pools, usually without vegetation. Biology. Live up to 4 years, mature in a few months, usually late in year of birth. Males establish territories along banks, usually in dense vegetation, but also between rocks, which they defend against rivals. Spawns April – November (Barm-e Shur spring). Females spawn with one or more males, usually in vegetation near surface or in gravel beds. Few eggs are laid in substrate during a spawning event. Individual females may produce several clutches in one day. Feeds on algae, detritus and small invertebrates.

Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia

conservation

Conservation status. Extinct in the wild; found only in one spring in 2013 but seems to have disappeared from nature since. Water abstraction, habitat destruction, pollution, introduction of non-native species and reduced rainfall due to climate change have caused all populations to vanish and springs to dry up.

Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia

description

Aphanius persicus: Forward and back again. Aphanius persicus (Jenkins, 1910) was previously known as the scientific name of the Maharlo killifish. When Gaudant (2011) studied the fossil killifish Brachylebias persicus Priem, 1908, he concluded that this must be a species of Aphanius and thus transferred B. persicus to Aphanius. Consequently, A. persicus (Jenkins, 1910) became a junior secondary homonym of A. persicus (Priem, 1908). As the name A. persicus was no longer available for the Maharlo killifish, it was redescribed as A. farsicus. However, upon the separation of the phylogenetic groups of Aphanius into different genera, Brachylebias was considered incertae sedis, as there were no arguments to place it in one of the recognised genera, and it could not be excluded that it represents a distinct (extinct) evolutionary lineage. As it is highly unlikely that Brachylebias might have been a species of Esmaeilius, it was transferred back to Brachylebias. As a result of this reclassification, Aphanius farsicus became a junior synonym of A. persicus (Jenkins, 1910), and the latter name is once again available for the Maharlo killifish. This species was then transferred to the new gen

Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia

diagnosis

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Esmaeilius by: ● female with distinct, brown bars along lateral midline / ○ male with narrow white anal, dorsal, and pelvic margin / ○ female with a distinctive black spot at caudal base / ○ 24 – 29 total scales along lateral series. Size up to 35 mm SL.

Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia