In the last two centuries, many ichthyologists have studied the freshwater and inland water fishes of Iran. Among them, Bruun & Kaiser (1944), Banarescu & Nalbant (1967) and Bianco & Banarescu (1982), could be mentioned. One of the most comprehensive works on freshwater fishes of Iran, belongs to the famous Russian ichthyologist, Berg (1948-49; 1948). He named many species from the region which were later considered at subspecific level or synonyms. Nevertheless, his book is still a reference on the fishes of the region. Also, the freshwater fishes of Iran, have been the subject of two theses abroad (Saadati, 1970; Armantrout, 1980). The freshwater fishes of Iran have been more extensively studied by the Canadian ichthyologist, Brian W. Coad (1970-2013), from the Canadian museum of Nature, Ottawa. He is an international referee on freshwater fishes of Iran and his web site is the most comprehensive reference on the subject. Fortunately, recently, several works have been carried out on Iran freshwater fishes, many of them listed in the “References” section. Among the recent works on inland water fishes of Iran, Abdoli (2000), Abbasi et al. (1999), Naderi-Jelodar and Abdoli (2004), Abdoli and Naderi (2008) should be mentioned. Abdoli (2000) is the first comprehensive and pictorial book on the subject in Persian. He introduced and photographed some 140 species from Iran. This book still is the most referred Persian book, both by experts and students.
The beautiful design of the book is the result of communication and discussion with several colleagues and experts. In this book we did our best to use the minimum text and present our work in a more pictorial manner. The signs and icons used for this purpose are explained in the prefatory pages. The text organization is as follows; a heading for English name(s), Persian name(s), local name(s) (in the Persian section), biology and distribution. Morphological and ecological information is briefly described in “Biology” heading. It should be mentioned that the description of the color is based on the more commonly observed color, but this characteristic is highly influenced by ecological conditions and could vary in different situations. Although the distribution of the species is indicated on the provincial map, the distribution of the species based on basins, is also noted in the “Distribution” heading. In the references, we mostly presented the literature published after year 2000 to keep the book pages in a manageable size.
Iran with an area of more than 1648000 km2, is one of the vastest countries of the region. From geographical point of view, Iran is limited to Atrak River, Caspian Sea and Aras River, on the north, Indu-Kush and Sind plains, on the East, western slopes of Zagros mountains and Arvandrud on the west, and the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman on the south. More than half of Iran consists of deserts or semi-desert plains, about one third of mountains, and a small part of alluvial plains (south of the Caspian Sea and Khuzestan).
The modern Iran is divided into 31 provinces, including East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan, Ardabil, Isfahan, Alborz, Ilam, Bushehr, Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari, North Khorasan, South Khorasan, Khorasan Razavi, Khuzestan, Tehran, Zanjan, Semnan, Sistan & Balu-chestan, Qazvin, Qom, Kordestan, Kermanshah, Kuhgiluiyeh & Buirahmad, Golestan, Guilan, Lorestan, Mazandaran, Markazi, Hormuzgan, Hamedan and Yazd. The largest province is Kerman with an area of about 182000 km2 and the smallest one is the newly established Alborz with an area smaller than 6000 km2. Guilan, with more than 1200 mm rainfall and 140 rivers, is the wettest province from both number of rivers and precipitation and Yazd with about 50 mm rainfall and no permanent river, is the driest one.
Some of these provinces included in only one basin, for example Ardabil, Guilan, Gorgan and Mazandaran (Caspian Sea), Qom (Namak), Semnan (Kavir), Lorestan, Ilam, Kermanshah (Tigris) and some others are contained in two or more basins, for example, East Azarbaijan (Caspian and Orumiyeh), Kordestan (Caspian and Tigris), North Khorasan (Caspian and Kavir), Tehran (Namak and Kavir), Alborz (Caspian and Namak), Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari (Tigris and Isfahan) and Khuzestan (Tigris and Bushehr) in two, and West Azarbaijan (Caspian, Orumiyeh and Tigris), Yazd (Lut, Kavir and Kerman), Hamedan (Caspian, Namak and Tigris), Khorasan Razavi (Bejestan, Harirud and Kavir) in three, and South Khorasan (Kavir, Lut, Bejestan and Sistan) and Isfahan (Isfahan, Tigris, Namak, Kerman and Kavir), Fars (Fars, Isfahan, Bushehr, Kerman and Hormuz) and Kerman (Kerman, Lut, Jazmurian, Hormuz and Makran) in five basins.
Iran rivers are contained in 12 major basins including Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, Orumiyeh Lake, Namak Lake (Qom), Isfahan (Gavkhoni), Fars (Kor River and Nayriz, Bakhtegan and Maharloo lakes), Jazmurian, Kavir Markazi (Kavir), Kavir Lut (Lut), Kerman (Siah Kuh, Daranjir and Abarqoo), Harirud and Khavari or Hamoon. For Ichthyological purposes, based on fish distribution, some of these basins are divided into smaller parts, resulting in 17 basins. These basins include Caspian Sea, Orumiyeh Lake, Tigris (Jarahi, Karun and Karkheh rivers and some tributaries of Diyaleh River), Bushehr, Hormuz, Makran (Sea of Oman), Mashkid (Mashkil), Sistan (Hamoon), Bejestan, Harirud, Namak Lake (Qom), Kavir Markazi (Kavir Namak or Dasht Kavir), Isfahan (Zayandehrud or Gavkhoni), Fars (Kor, Nayriz, Bakhtegan or Maharloo), Kerman (Yazd-Naein), Kavir Lut (Lut) and Jazmurian. Probably the boundaries of some basins need to be redefined.
In General, the Iranian basins could be divided into four major ones: Northern and Northwestern (Caspian Sea and Orumiyeh Lake), Western and Southern (Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman), Eastern (Mashkid, Sistan, Bejestan and Harirud) and Central (Kavir, Namak, Isfahan, Lut, Kerman, Fars and Jazmurian). The northern and northwestern basins are endoreic and Western and southern ones are exoreic.
The Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman basins, with 437000 km2, is the largest and Fars basin with about 31000 km2 is the smallest basin of Iran. Caspian Sea, the wettest basin, with 173000 km2 is in the fourth place. There are some 250 wetlands in Iran with an area about 2,500,000 hectare, among which 24 are included in Ramsar Convention Treaty and considered important international wetlands. Although they comprise only a small percentage of the world wetlands, they are unique and very important.
In general, the rivers and wetlands of the Caspian Sea basin with some 66 and Tigris basin with some 63 species from 166 recorded species, are the most diverse basins. Kavir, Kerman and Bejestan, each with only 3 species, are the less divers basins in Iran.
Fishes are the most primitive vertebrates and with more than 30,000 extant species are the largest vertebrates group, comprising more than half of the total number of living vertebrates and are distributed in a variety of habitats. Fishes have a long evolutionary history and some of them have served as a transitional group between water and terrestrial environments. Ostracodermi, the first fish-like vertebrates, appeared in Cambrian about 570 million years ago. Jawless Myxines and lampreys appeared about 520 million years ago, in the same era. Cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes) appeared about 470 million years ago, in Ordovician. First fin-rayed fishes (Actino-pterygii), Chondrostei and bony fishes (Teleostei), appeared about 420 million years ago, in Silurian. Fishes mostly diversified in Devonian, also known as “Age of Fishes”. Today, although, there are some living Chondrichthyes and Chondrostei species, their numbers are not even close to bony fishes and many of them are going to extinct. However, some of them such as sturgeons are economically very important to countries such as Iran.
Based on cladistic classification, the ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) are more closely related to mammals than to sharks. However, although fishes are a heterogeneous assemblage, they exhibit phylogenetic continuity. Some people restrict the term “fish” to the jawed bony fishes. Many would also include sharks, rays, and their relatives. Some, also include the jawless craniates. Therefore, the term “fishes” designates a paraphyletic group. Some groups of fishes are expanding with newly described species, whereas, some others are decreasing because of being synonymized or becoming extinct, however, a net increase in species of fish is shown every year. The living species are far more than fossil records, but there is a rich and informative fish fossil records. Of the 515 fish families with living species recognized today, carps (Cyprinidae), Gobiidae, Cichlidae and loaches (Nemacheilidae), which are mostly freshwater fish, comprise the largest fish families and Interestingly, about 43% of all fishes are freshwater. The formation of inland water fishes of Iran is the result of formation and closing of the Tethys Sea, in Oligocene-Miocene boundary, about 20-30 million years ago, and the orogenic events thereafter and isolation of the central part from the rest and desiccation of Tethys Sea. Many of the Iranian endemics have arisen by these processes.
We followed the classification of Nelson (2006) at higher level classification and Froese & Pauly (2013) and Coad (2013) at generic and specific levels. English names are based on literature and Persian names on literature and local fishermen. Since species is the accepted level by International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, the species level is used here. Recently, some of the former subspecies have been raised to species level and are followed here. Some more subspecies are expected to be raised to species level in the future. One of the species with dramatic changes in the last years is the riffle minnow or spirlin, Alburnoides bipunctatus. Six species of this taxon are recorded from Iran. Alburnoides eichwaldi in the Caspian Sea basin, A. petrubanarescui in Orumiyeh basin, A. namaki in Namak basin, A. qanati in Fars basin, A. idignensis and A. nicoulasi in Tigris basin. However, it is not an easy task to precisely distinguish these newly proposed species, so their distribution map is prepared based on their basin origin and is not final, pending further work. Several new species of Carps (Cyprinidae), Spiny loaches (Cobitidae), loaches (Nemacheilidae) and toothcarps (Cyprinodontidae) are included in the book for the sake of completeness and being up to date, though with little information. Species of the genus Barbus senso lato and the family Nemacheilidae are among those with frequent changes during the last 2-3 years and still has not stabilized, thus more likely, they will undergo more changes in the future. Some authors raised the subfamily Nemacheilinae to family Nemacheilidae and used that as a replacement for Nemacheilidae. This is not followed here. The systematics of orders mentioned here, based on Nelson (2006), is summarized as follows. The systematics of families is presented on the “Table of Contents” page and the order followed in the book. For the sake of convenience, species are arranged in an alphabetical order.
As suggested by Nelson (2006), we used the “iformes” ending for ordinal names and “idae” for family names. This is followed throughout the text.
Order Petromyzontiformes
Subclass Elasmobranchii
- Order Carcharhiniformes
§ Subclass Chrondrostei
¨ Order Acipenseriformes
§ Subclass Neopterygii
¨ Division Teleostei
§ Subdivision Ostarioclupeomorpha
§ Superorder Clupeomorpha
¨ Order Clupeiformes
§ Superorder Ostariophysi
¨ Order Gonorynchiformes
¨ Order Cypriniformes
¨ Order Siluriformes
§ Subdivision Euteleostei
§ Superorder Protacanthopterygii
¨ Order Salmoniformes
¨ Order Esociformes
§ Superorder Acanthopterygii
Series Mugilomorpha
¨ Order Mugiliformes
Series Atherinomorpha
¨ Order Atheriniformes
¨ Order Cyprinodontiformes
Series Percomorpha
¨ Order Gasterosteiformes
¨ Order Synbranchiformes
¨ Order Perciformes
One dorsal fin, superior mouth, round caudal fin, sexual dimorphism, gravid spots in females and gonopodium in males
One dorsal fin, superior mouth, round caudal fin, sexual dimorphism, no gravid spots in females or gonopodium in males
With 2-11 isolated dorsal spines, scutes along the body instead of scales and a strong pelvic spine
Elongated and slender body encapsulated in circular scutes and a tubular snout with a small mouth at the end
Elongated tapering body, long and continuous dorsal and anal fins with 30-35 isolated dorsal spines
Two separated dorsal fins, first one being spiny, with jaw teeth and ctenoid scales
A continuous and spiny dorsal fin, broken lateral line and lack of nasal flap
Two separated dorsal fin and ventral fins united into a disc
Spineless, long and continuous dorsal and anal fins and tubular anterior nasal opening
A medium adipose fin, 4 pairs of relatively short barbels
No adipose fin, 4 pairs of barbels, small dorsal fin
No adipose fin, 4 pairs of barbels
A large adipose fin, 4 pairs of long barbels
An adipose fin, no barbels
No adipose fin, elongated body and snout
Two dorsal fins, inconspicuous lateral line, scales on top of the head
Two dorsal fins, inconspicuous lateral line, no scales on top of the head
Anguilliform body, no real jaws and gill opening as 7 pairs of large pores
Fusiform body, heterocercal caudal fin, ventral mouth, gill opening as 5 pairs of vertical slits
Heterocercal caudal fin, 5 rows of body scutes, Gill opening as a pair of slits covered by subopercule
Homocercal caudal fin, body covered by scales, a ventral scaled keel and inconspicuous lateral line
Body compressed and covered by scales, no ventral keel, a conspicuous lateral line, highly forked caudal fin and small mouth
One dorsal fin, no jaw teeth, but 1-3 rows of pharyngeal teeth
Elongated and cylindrical body, one dorsal fin, 1 row of pharyngeal teeth, compressed head, a suborbital spine
Elongated and cylindrical body, one dorsal fin, 1 row of pharyngeal teeth, depressed head, no suborbital spine
Although more than a decade has passed since the publication of “Inland water Fishes of Iran”, this outstanding book is still widely used by both scholars and students. However, the need for a reliable source, providing sufficient information on inland water fish species of Iran with an up to date account on their distribution, abundance, and habitat type, as well as fine pictures that would serve as valuable guides for both ichthyologists and public and present the aesthetic values of fishes, was strongly felt. Moreover, presenting consistent data in English seemed very necessary in order to appropriately introduce the unique richness of Iran’s fishes to scientist worldwide. With these needs considered, Iran Department of Environment proposed the preparation of such a book through collaboration with the Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology.
Along with an apology for any possible imperfection in this book, we would like to express our gratitude to experts, researchers, students and nature-lovers who would provide advice and information to improve the next edition of this book. Iran’s vast area, the unique richness and diversity of its fishes and habitats, along with the shortage of qualified and experienced ichthyologists, make it difficult to gain comprehensive and up to date statuses for every ichthyologist in the country. Collecting the material for this book would not have been possible without the help and cooperation between all related bodies and Iran Department of Environment. We hope that the production of this book would serve as an inspiration for Iranian experts and environmentalist to carry out more detailed and extensive research on Iranian fishes.
Dr. Yazdan Keivany (Isfahan University of Technology)
Dr. Manoochehr Nasri (Lorestan University)
Dr. Keyvan Abbasi (Inland water Aquaculture Institute)
Dr. Asghar Abdoli (Shahid Beheshti University)