Aphanius isfahanensis

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Aphanius isfahanensis is a newly described killifish species from the Isfahan basin of Iran (Hrbek et al., 2006). It is distinguished from the other Iranian species of Aphanius by adult color pattern, molecular character states of mitochondrial DNA sequence data, and in multivariate morphometric and meristic space. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of molecular sequence data, the new species is hypothesized to be sister taxon to A. sophiae plus A. persicus, which also occur in Iran.

Aphanius isfahanensis is clearly distinguished at the genetic level from all other species of Aphanius. It has 82 molecular apomorphies–19 transversions, two transversions/transitions (depending on comparison), and 61 transitions–that show fixed character state differences to homologous characters analyzed in A. sophiae, A. persicus, and A. vladykovi from Iran. Thirty-seven of these character states are also apomorphies when compared to A. anatoliae, A. danfordii, A. villwocki, A. asquamatus, and A. fasciatus from Turkey.

Males of A. isfahanensis can be distinguished from those of all other Iranian species by having distinct black edge on the dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins. The dorsal fin is covered with a high density of black blotches. However, this color pattern is also observed in males of Aphanius anatoliae from Turkey.

Females of A. isfahanensis can be distinguished from females of A. sophiae and A. vladykovi by having flank-bars rather than spots. It can also be distinguished from A. persicus by less well-defined bars terminating at a mid-flank stripe and a relatively light gray stripe at the caudal-fin base rather than a black spot or blotch. Flank-bars are also characteristic of females of Aphanius dispar and Aphanius fasciatus, however.

Aphanius isfahanensis can be distinguished unambiguously only from A. vladykovi by a lower lateral-line scale count. It cannot be distinguished unambiguously by any morphometric or meristic character from A. sophiae or A. persicus.

[edit] Sources

• Hrbek, T., Y. Keivany, and B.W. Coad. 2006. New Species of Aphanius (Teleostei, Cyprinodontidae) from Isfahan Province of Iran and a Reanalysis of Other Iranian Species. Copeia, 2006(2): 244–255.