Freshwater fishes of Syria: a revised and updated annotated checklist- 2023 Author Saad, Adib 0000-0001-6393-2836 Al Andalus University, Kadmus, Tartus, Syria / Syrian Society for Aquatic Environment Protection, Lattakia, Syria. https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 6393 - 2836 Author Çiçek, Erdoğan Department of Biology, Faculty of Art and Sciences, Nevþehir Hacý BektaþVeli University, Nevþehir, T ¸ rkiye. Author Esmaeili, Hamid Reza 0000-0002-9736-397X Ichthyology and Molecular Systematics Research Laboratory, Zoology Section, Department of Biology, School of Science, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 9736 - 397 X Author Fricke, Ronald 0000-0003-1476-6990 Staatliches Museum f ¸ r Naturkunde in Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany. https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 1476 - 6990 Author Sungur, Sevil 0000-0003-4018-6375 Health Services Vocational School, Nevþehir Hacý BektaþVeli University, Nevþehir, T ¸ rkiye. https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 4018 - 6375 Author Eagderi, Soheil 0000-0001-6393-2836 Al Andalus University, Kadmus, Tartus, Syria / Syrian Society for Aquatic Environment Protection, Lattakia, Syria. https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 6393 - 2836 & Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran. https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 1134 - 0356 * Corresponding author: erdogancicek 50 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 5334 - 5737 & Al Andalus University, Kadmus, Tartus, Syria / Syrian Society for Aquatic Environment Protection, Lattakia, Syria. https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 6393 - 2836 erdogancicek50@gmail.com text Zootaxa 2023 2023-09-22 5350 1 1 62 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5350.1.1 journal article 270787 10.11646/zootaxa.5350.1.1 503ff6a9-9260-469d-af97-456e103cbfae 1175-5334 23B4C9BF-A1A4-4D27-8C30-E4A23DAD01AB Cobitis elazigensis Coad & Sarieyy ̡poglu, 1988 [N]—Tigris spined loach; Tinia Taxonomy. Original description: Cobitis elazigensis Coad & Sarieyyüpoglu, 1988: 426 , figs. 1-2 [creek at Cip, drainage of Murat Nehri, tributary of Euphrates River, Elazig Province , Turkey , 38°42’N , 39°05’E ; holotype : NMC 85-0679A].—Syrian synonyms: None.—Revisions: Freyhof et al. (2018: 16).—Illustration: Coad & Sarieyyüpoglu (1988 : figs. 1-2). Status in Syria . Recorded from Syria by Coad (2010: 202) as Cobitis taenia (non Linnaeus, 1758 ) (see Freyhof et al. 2018: 16).—Syrian material: None. Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Syria : Euphrates River. We sampled from Turkish part of the border in Karkamýþ Dam Lake.—Distribution in River Basin: 2-Euphrates & Aleppo .—General distribution: Asia Minor and Middle East: Upper Euphrates River basin in Turkey , Iran and Syria .—441-Lower Tigris & Euphrates, 442-Upper Tigris & Euphrates.—Habitat: This species lives in streams and lakes with sand or fine gravel bottoms. Freshwater. Economic importance. No commercial importance. Conservation. Conservation status in Syria : Unknown.—IUCN: LC ( IUCN 2023 ).—Threats: This species seems to have a very large population in Atatürk reservoir and its tributaries, and maybe reservoirs in Syria , where no threats are obvious. Elsewhere it is locally found in lowland streams and small rivers where pollution and water abstraction are a threat. The loss of stream populations is suspected to be balanced by reservoir populations.—Moderate sensitivity to human activities.—Keystone species.—Decline status: Stable.— Moderate priority for conservation action.