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 Luciobarbus pectoralis ( Heckel, 1843 ) [N]—Heckel’s Orontes barbel Taxonomy. Original description: Barbus pectoralis Heckel, 1843: 1045 [55] [Orontes River, Syria ; holotype :?NMW 54474].— Iraq synonyms: None.—Revisions: None.—Illustration: Heckel (1843 : pl. 2 (fig. 2)) as Barbus pectoralis . Status in Iraq . Recorded from Iraq in original description by Heckel (1843) .—Iraq materials: NMW. Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Iraq : Euphrates River system.—General distribution: Euphrates River and Orontes River system in Turkey and Syria ; Mediterranean watersheds.—Habitat: This species inhabits a wide range of rivers and larger streams and also occurs in reservoirs, from which it migrates to inflowing streams and rivers for spawning. Freshwater. Economic importance. Commercially important. Conservation. Conservation Status in Iraq : Unknown.—IUCN: LC (IUCN 2023).—Threats: There are many threats in the area, especially in Asi drainage where this species has lost major part of its range due to massive pollution and water abstraction. However, these threats are not strong enough all over the range to really affect this species.—Low sensitivity to human activities.—Keystone species.—Decline status: Stable.—Low priority for conservation action.