Aphaniops furcatus (Teimori, Esmaeili, Erpenbeck & Reichenbacher, 2014)
Aphaniops furcatus
photo by Esmaeili, H.R.

Family:  Aphaniidae (Oriental killifishes)
Max. size:  3.27 cm SL (male/unsexed); 3.04 cm SL (female)
Environment:  benthopelagic; freshwater; brackish
Distribution:  Asia: Iran.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-12; Anal soft rays: 9-11; Vertebrae: 26-27. Distinguished from all other species of Aphanius by the following combination of characters: completely without scales; caudal fin slightly forked; males with dark pigmentation at the base of the four anterior dorsal rays; single row of tricuspid teeth with the two lateral cusps shorter than the middle one; rounded otolith with short rostrum and antirostrum of almost equal length; reduction in biomineralization of caudal skeleton such as thin epural bone; 157 (vs. A. dispar) and 170 (vs. A. ginaonis) molecular characters in the 12S mt-DNA and tRNA-Val (Ref. 96446). Description: males with 9-12 and females with 9-11 dorsal-fin rays; males and females with 9-11 anal-fin rays; males with 12-15 and females with 13-15 pectoral-fin rays; males and females with 5-6 pelvic-fin rays; males with 12-16 and females with 14-16 gill rakers (Ref. 96446).
Biology:  Inhabits rivers and springs that are often seasonal and characterized by shallow water and white layers of salt around and within the river. Often dominates on the riversides, where the water is shallow, warm and water flow is slow. Sympatric with Aphanius dispar (Ref. 96446).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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