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 10.11646/zootaxa.5357.1.1 1175-5326 10012543 7CDE221A-1E73-416D-A984-23E64D9451A6 Astronotus ocellatus (Agassiz, 1831) [I]—Oscar Taxonomy. Original description: Lobotes ocellatus Agassiz in Spix & Agassiz , 1831: 129, Pl. 68 [Atlantic (in error): no types known].— Iraq synonyms: None.—Revisions: None.—Illustration: Silvano et al . (2020: 329, fig.) . Status in Iraq . First record from Iraq by Jawad et al . (2022) from one of the branches of the Euphrates River to the east of Barnun city, ca. 5 km to the NW of Hilla city in Babylon Province in central Iraq.—Iraq materials: None. Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Iraq : Euphrates River.—General distribution: South America: Amazon River basin, Brazil , Bolivia , Colombia , French Guiana , and Peru . Introduced elsewhere, including southern Florida and Puerto Rico ( U.S.A. ).—Habitat: This species prefers to inhabit quiet, shallow waters in mud-bottomed and sand-bottomed canals and ponds. Freshwater. Economic importance. Valuable for the aquarium trade. Reasons of introduction. Ornamental fish industry. Conservation. Not relevant (introduced species).