Aphanius

Last updated

Aphanius
Temporal range: Miocene–recent
Aphanius fasciatus male.jpg
Aphanius fasciatus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Aphaniidae
Genus: Aphanius
Nardo, 1827
Type species
Aphanius nanus
Nardo, 1827
Synonyms

LebiasGoldfuss, 1820 (invalid name)
MicromugilGulia, 1861

Contents

Aphanius, commonly referred to as Mediterranean killifish, is a genus of the order Cyprinodontiformes in the family Aphaniidae. They are found in fresh and brackish waters in the coastal plains of the Mediterranean region.

Taxonomy and systematics

There were formerly 39 recognized species in this genus. However, the family Aphaniidae was split in 2020, and species were reallocated to eight monophyletic genera. Several species were reallocated; to five resurrected genera ( Anatolichthys , Aphaniops , Kosswigichthys , Paraphanius , and Tellia ) and two new genera Esmaeilius and Apricaphanius . [1]

Species

Following the split, there are two valid species: [1]

Fossil of Aphanius crassicaudus Cyprinodontidae - Aphanius crassicaudus.JPG
Fossil of Aphanius crassicaudus
Fossil species

Fossil record

Fossils of extinct species, including A. crassicaudatus and A. yerevanicus , are known as far back as the Early Miocene of the Mediterranean and Caucasus regions. [3] are Fossils of Aphanius are found in strata of the Pleistocene of Italy (age range: from 11.608 to 5.332 million years ago.). [4]

Related Research Articles

The footless killifish is a monotypic species of killifish in the family Aphaniidae. This species is endemic to springs and streams in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria, between Batna and Constantine. T. apoda was described in 1853 by Paul Gervais with the type locality given as the Springs of Tell, south of Constantine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mediterranean killifish</span> Species of fish

The Mediterranean killifish, Mediterranean banded killifish or South European toothcarp is a species of fish in the family Aphaniidae. It is found in Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Montenegro, Slovenia, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey. Its natural habitats are saline lakes, saline marshes, and coastal saline lagoons.

Campellolebias is a genus of killifish in the family Rivulidae from southeast Brazil. They are restricted to seasonal blackwater pools in forests in coastal parts of Santa Catarina and São Paulo states.

<i>Rivulus</i> Genus of fishes

Rivulus is a genus of small freshwater fish in the Cyprinodontiformes family Rivulidae. It was traditionally considered to be the largest genus in its family; however, the genus's size is currently in dispute. Wilson J. E. Costa split this genus into several new genera in 2004 and 2011, leaving only a few Greater Antillean species in Rivulus itself. Despite being moved to other genera, some of the species retain the common name "rivulus", like the well-known mangrove rivulus. Shortly after the review by Costa, another review authored by J.H. Huber refuted the split, moving the proposed genera back in Rivulus and again making the genus the largest in the family Aplocheilidae.

Esmaeilius vladykovi is a species of killifish in the family Aphaniidae endemic to a restricted area of the central Zagros Mountains of Iran. It can also be found in the aquarium trade. Its specific name honours the zoologist Vadim D. Vladykov (1898-1986) who studied the fishes of the Caspian basin and the person who accepted the species author, Brian W. Coad, as a graduate student.

<i>Valencia</i> (fish) Genus of fishes

Valencia is the only genus in the family Valenciidae. Valencia is a genus of ray-finned fishes. It is sometimes grouped into the family Cyprinodontidae. Members of this genus are restricted to southern Europe.

<i>Anatolichthys danfordii</i> Species of fish

Anatolichthys danfordii, the Kızılırmak toothcarp or Sultan Sazlığı toothcarp, is a species of killifish belonging to the family Aphaniidae. It is endemic to the Kızılırmak River and the upper Seyhan River drainage systems and is now restricted to a few locations in the Sultan Sazlığı marshes. Though little data is available, the population of the fish seems to be declining. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being "critically endangered" and fears it may become extinct in the wild if the drainage of the marshes continues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arabian toothcarp</span> Species of fish

The Arabian toothcarp, known also as the Arabian toothcarp or mother-of-Pearl fish is a species of killifish belonging to the family Aphaniidae. It can be found from the shores of the Red Sea south to Ethiopia, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and along the Persian Gulf east to Pakistan and India. It is also found in the Suez Canal, the northern coast of the Sinai Peninsula, and in one location on the Palestinian coast. The former recognized subspecies: A. d. richardsoni, the Dead Sea toothcarp endemic to the Dead Sea has now been raised to a full species as Aphaniops richardsoni.

The Dead Sea toothcarp is a species of toothcarp in the family Aphaniidae that is endemic to the Dead Sea basin. It is threatened by water fluctuation, and the introduction of cichlids and Gambusia. The specific name of this fish honours the Scottish surgeon and naturalist John Richardson (naturalist) (1787-1865) who first reported killifish in the Dead Sea basin. The Dead Sea toothcarp has been on the Red List of the International Union for Conversation of Nature since 2006.

The iridescent toothcarp or pearl-spotted killifish(Paraphanius mento) is a species of killifish in the family Aphaniidae. It can be found in Western Asia. It occurs in a wide range of freshwater habitats. It grows to 5 cm (2.0 in) total length. This species was described in 1843 as Lebias mento by Johann Jakob Heckel with the type locality given as Mosul in Iraq. The acanthocephalan parasite Triaspiron aphanii was found to infest 90% of a sample of Iridescent toothcarp.

The Farsi toothcarp is a species of pupfish belonging to the family Aphaniidae. It is endemic to the Maharloo Lake Basin in Iran, residing in springs, lagoons, and marshes containing fresh to brackish water.

The Lake Afdera killifish is a species of fish in the family Aphaniidae. It is found in Lake Afdera in Ethiopia. The species was evaluated by the IUCN on 1 May 2009 and listed as endangered on the Red List.

<i>Aphanius crassicaudus</i> Extinct species of fish

Aphanius crassicaudus is an extinct species of fish in the family Aphaniidae. It lived in the Late Miocene in brackish and hypersaline lagoons along the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Fossils are known from Greece, Italy, and Spain.

Anatolichthys marassantensis, also known as the Kızılırmak toothcarp, is a species of killifish in the family Aphaniidae endemic to the basin of the Kızılırmak River in Turkey. The species is named after Marassanta, the Hittite language word for the Kızılırmak.

<i>Apricaphanius</i> Genus of fishes

Apricaphanius is a genus of killifishes in the family Aphaniidae, which are native to northern Africa and southern Europe. All species in the genus have very small distributions and are seriously threatened.

<i>Esmaeilius</i> Genus of fishes

Esmaeilius is a genus of toothcarps in the family Aphaniidae. They are native to Iran and one species extending to Iraq. Most species in the genus have very small distributions and all are seriously threatened.

<i>Paraphanius</i> Genus of fishes

Paraphanius is a genus of killifishes in the family Aphaniidae, which are native to western Asia. Several species in the genus have very limited distribution and may be threatened.

<i>Anatolichthys</i> Genus of fishes

Anatolichthys is a genus of toothcarps in the family Aphaniidae, which are native to Asia Minor. Several species in the genus have very limited distribution and may be threatened.

<i>Aphaniops</i> Genus of fishes

Aphaniops is a genus of killifishes in the family Aphaniidae, which are native to Western Asia, Northeast Africa and east to southwest India. Several species in the genus have very limited distribution and may be threatened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aphaniidae</span> Family of fishes

Aphaniidae, the Oriental killifishes, are a family of the order Cyprinodontiformes. The 42 extant species of the family inhabit inland waters, rivers and lagoons. The distribution of these species extends from the entire Mediterranean region throughout the neighboring states of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf to southwest India. Several species in this family have very small distributions and are seriously threatened.

References

  1. 1 2 Jörg Freyhof; Baran Yoğurtçuoğlu (July 2020). "A proposal for a new generic structure of the killifish family Aphaniidae, with the description of Aphaniops teimorii (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes)". Zootaxa. 4810 (3): 421–451. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4810.3.2. PMID   33055730.
  2. A. crassicaudus at Fossilworks
  3. Reichenbacher, Bettina; Kowalke, Thorsten (2009-10-01). "Neogene and present-day zoogeography of killifishes (Aphanius and Aphanolebias) in the Mediterranean and Paratethys areas". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 281 (1): 43–56. Bibcode:2009PPP...281...43R. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.07.008. ISSN   0031-0182.
  4. "†Lebias Agassiz 1832 (ray-finned fish)". Paleobiology Database.