Oxynoemacheilus nasreddini, a new nemacheilid loach from Central Anatolia (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae)

Abstract

Oxynoemacheilus nasreddini, new species, from Lake Akehir, Eber, Eirdir, and Ilgn basins in Central Anatolia is distinguished from other species of Oxynoemacheilus in Central Anatolia by having irregularly shaped blotches on flank; 2-4 dark-brown bands on caudal fin; a slender body, and an emarginate caudal fin in which the shortest middle caudal fin ray is 76-91% of the longest ray of the upper caudal-fin lobe. Molecular data suggest that the new species is closely related to O. mediterraneus from the Aksu and Koprucay drainages. Although the two species are separated by only a minimum K2P distance of 1.2% in the mtDNA COI barcode region, they are well distinguished morphologically. The situation is complicated by loaches from Lake Eirdir basin that are identified as O. nasreddini by their morphological character states but are only distinguished from O. mediterraneus by a minimum K2P distance of 0.2% in the mtDNA COI barcode region.