Freshwater fishes of Iraq: a revised and updated annotated checklist- 2023 Author Çiçek, Erdoğan Department of Biology, Faculty of Art and Sciences, Nevşehir Hacı BektaşVeli University, Nevşehir, Türkiye Author Jawad, Laith School of Environmental and Animal Sciences, Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand Author Eagderi, Soheil Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran Author Esmaeili, Hamid Reza Ichthyology and Molecular Systematics Research Laboratory, Zoology Section, Department of Biology, School of Science, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran Author Mouludi-Saleh, Atta Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran Author Sungur, Sevil Health Services Vocational School, Nevşehir Hacı BektaşVeli University, Nevşehir, Türkiye Author Fricke, Ronald Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde in Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany text Zootaxa 2023 2023-10-17 5357 1 1 49 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5357.1.1 journal article 273375 10.11646/zootaxa.5357.1.1 6073f32b-c27e-4504-b32f-d3a171422a77 1175-5326 10012543 7CDE221A-1E73-416D-A984-23E64D9451A6 Hemiculter leucisculus ( Basilewsky, 1855 ) [I] — Sharpbelly Taxonomy. Original description: Culter leucisculus Basilewsky, 1855: 238 [Rivers flowing into Bay of Tschili (Chihli), Beijing ( Peking ), China ; syntypes : ZIN 5272 (2)].— Iraq synonyms: None.—Revisions: Berg (1949: 808) .—Illustration: Berg (1949: 809 , fig. 553); Esmaeili et al . (2011: 3 , fig. 2); Zareian et al . (2015: 15 , fig. 5); Esmaeili & Abbasi (2021: fig. 346: 18.52); Radkhah et al . (2016) . Status in Iraq . First record from Iraq by Coad & Hussain (2007) ; confirmed by Al-Faisal et al . (2014); Abdullah & Abdullah (2018) .—Iraq materials: None. Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Iraq : Euphrates River.—General distribution: East Asia ; introduced elsewhere.—Habitat: This species is usually found in large and medium-sized rivers in shallow water over sandy bottoms, but sometimes occurs in pools along the bed of mountain streams; also abundant in ponds, lakes, and the backwaters of rivers. It is highly tolerant of water pollution. Freshwater, brackish. Economic importance. LocWesternally commercially important. Reasons of introduction. Fisheries: enhancement of wild stocks and sports fishing. Conservation. Not relevant (introduced species).