Arabian toothcarp

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Arabian toothcarp
The fishes of the Nile (Pl. LXXIX) (6961625285).jpg
The Fishes of the Nile, displaying several tooth carps. The fish marked 3 and 4 are a male and female Aphaniops dispar, respectively
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Aphaniidae
Genus: Aphaniops
Species:
A. dispar
Binomial name
Aphaniops dispar
Rüppell, 1829)
Synonyms [2]
  • Lebias disparRüppell, 1829
  • Aphanius dispar(Rüppell, 1829)
  • Cyprinodon dispar(Rüppell, 1829)
  • Lebias lunatus Ehrenberg, 1846
  • Lebias veliferEhrenberg, 1846
  • Aphanius velifer(Ehrenberg, 1846)
  • Cyprinodon lunatus Valenciennes, 1846
  • Aphanius lunatus(Valenciennes, 1846)
  • Aphanius foemina(Valenciennes, 1846)
  • Cyprinodon stoliczkanus Day, 1872
  • Aphanius stoliczkanus (Day, 1872)
  • Cyprinodon richardsoni Boulenger, 1907
  • Aphanius richardsoni(Boulenger, 1907)
  • Cyprinodon cilensis Gianferrari, 1930
  • Alphaniops cilensis(Gianferrari, 1930)
  • Aphanius cilensis(Gianferrari, 1930)
  • Aphanius airebejensis(Gianferrari, 1933)
  • Cyprinodon zaccariniiGianferrari, 1933
  • Aphaniops zaccarinii(Gianferrari, 1933)
  • Aphanius zaccarinii(Gianferrari, 1933)
  • Cyprinodon darrorensisGianferrari, 1933
  • Aphaniops darrorensis(Gianferrari, 1933)
  • Aphanius darrorensis(Gianferrari, 1933)

The Arabian toothcarp (Aphaniops dispar), 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.

Contents

Taxonomy

The Arabian toothcarp was reassigned from the genus Aphanius in 2020 in the course of a reclassification of several species in that genus. [3]

Description

A. dispar is a chubby and robust fish in both sexes with a similar body plan lacking any spines, but here is where their similarities end. This species expresses extreme sexual dimorphism in both appearance and behaviour. The larger males are very brightly coloured with long fins that may reach the end of the tail when lowered. He is a lustrous greyish blue with bright silver spots spread across his body, with a relatively sharp snout. The fins are light yellow with thick black bands running across his tail fin and spots on his dorsal and ventral fins. The smaller females are brownish-silver with distinctive brown marks running down her sides, with a smoother snout. Her fins are smaller and her tail is distinctly shaped like a square. This fish is coated with a pearly lustre, giving rise to one of their names, the "Mother-of-Pearl fish" The males are solitary and less commonly encountered, while females and younger males are gregarious, forming small shoals. The size is about 8 cm (3 in) for males and 6 cm (2 in) for females. [4]

Habitat

The Arabian pupfish inhabits a wide variety of water bodies, though it prefers hard alkaline. It is an extremely euryhaline fish, capable of tolerating salinities from below 1 ppt (pure freshwater) to hypersaline conditions of almost 140 ppt. [5] For reference, seawater has an average salinity of 35 ppt. Throughout its range, the Arabian pupfish can be seen in several aquatic habitats. It is commonly encountered in coastal zones and estuaries, [6] with the greatest number observed being in mangrove forests where they hide amongst the roots and leaves of the plants in groups of hundreds. They can also be found in freshwater environments such as oases and lakes through Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Oman

Diet

This fish is an omnivore, feeding on any organic debris such as algae, freshwater crustaceans and small insects. In freshwater habitats, their main source of food is the larvae of mosquitoes, whilst smaller aquatic worms are often targeted by groups of fish. Its prolific feeding on mosquito larvae had led to it being used as a method of pest control in several countries. [7]

Conservation and threats

The Arabian pupfish is listed as a species of least concern by the IUCN with a stable population in 2013. [1] Owing to the outdated status, this fish has faced several threats in recent days especially with freshwater populations.[ citation needed ] These fish are threatened by water pollution, lack of food, and habitat degradation which led to noticeable declines in population densities throughout their range. The introduction of the mosquitofish, a widespread invasive species has proven detrimental to the fish, as it outcompetes A. dispar. The status of this fish is only believed to worsen with time as there is a dire lack of conservation efforts. [8]

Related Research Articles

Euryhaline organisms are able to adapt to a wide range of salinities. An example of a euryhaline fish is the short-finned molly, Poecilia sphenops, which can live in fresh water, brackish water, or salt water.

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

The Spanish toothcarp, also known as the Spanish toothcarp or Iberian killifish, is a small, endemic species of fish in the family Aphaniidae. Its risk of extinction is one of the greatest of any Iberian vertebrate. Its limited range, coupled with the drastic population decline the species has suffered in the last two decades, has caused it to be placed on endangered species lists, both in Spain and internationally. In addition, habitat fragmentation, likely due to humans, has resulted in this species becoming increasingly stagnant and has led to increased genetic drift. Also found to be contributing to their endangerment was genetic diversity of mitochondrial DNA. The mitochondrial DNA coupled with A. iberus’s geographic distribution has been able to affect their population genetic structure gradually in different spaces. Its conservation status in the south of the Iberian peninsula has notably worsened.

Anatolichthys anatoliae, the Anatolian giant killifish or Lake Tuz toothcarp, is a species of fish in the family Aphaniidae. It is endemic to Turkey. It is known from freshwater springs and streams around Lake Tuz, as well as from the Lake Beyşehir basin and from Konya eastward to Niğde. It lives in clear, well-oxygenated running freshwaters. It is threatened by water abstraction and the drying out of streams and springs. It is also impacted by the introduction of Gambusia species.

<i>Aphanius</i> Genus of fishes

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.

<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.

Anatolichthys sureyanus, the Burdur toothcarp or Sureyan killifish, is a species of freshwater fish in the family Aphaniidae.

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

Anatolichthys transgrediens, the Acı Göl toothcarp or Acipinar killifish, is a species of freshwater fish in the family Aphaniidae. It is endemic to the springs of Lake Acıgöl in Turkey. It is threatened by a reduction in rainfall from climate change, and the abstraction of water from the springs. The introduction of the non-native eastern mosquitofish also threatens this species.

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>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.

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.

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

The Almiri toothcarp or Almiri killifish is a species of pupfish belonging to the family Aphaniidae. It can be found in a handful of brackish springs and marshes in the Peloponnese, Greece. Due to one of the springs being dammed up with rocks in the late 1990s to early 2000s, the IUCN considers the fish to be critically endangered on criteria B1ab and B2ab ; it is possibly extinct at its type locality.

Apricaphanius saourensis, the Sahara aphanius or Sahara killifish, is a species of freshwater pupfish belonging to the family Aphaniidae. It is endemic to the Oued Saoura river basin in Algeria. The species is threatened by water pollution and water withdrawal for agricultural use. It was last observed in the wild in 2003. Later surveys have not encountered the species, although a captive population exists; it was last evaluated by the IUCN 2021 and listed as critically endangered, possibly extinct in the wild.

<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 Freyhof, J. (2014). "Aphanius dispar". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T183159A1730991. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T183159A1730991.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Aphaniops dispar" in FishBase. August 2019 version.
  3. ↑ Freyhof, J.; Yoğurtçuoğlu, B. (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. S2CID   222842275.
  4. ↑ "Qatar e-Nature – Arabian Pupfish".
  5. ↑ Plaut, Itai (September 2000). "Resting Metabolic Rate, Critical Swimming Speed, and Routine Activity of the Euryhaline Cyprinodontid, Aphanius dispar, Acclimated to a Wide Range of Salinities". Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 73 (5): 590–596. doi:10.1086/317746. PMID   11073794. S2CID   10868634.
  6. ↑ Haq, Sarfarazul; Yadav, Rajpal S. (1 December 2011). "Geographical distribution and evaluation of mosquito larvivorous potential of Aphanius dispar (Ruppell), a native fish of Gujarat, India". Journal of Vector Borne Diseases. 48 (4): 236–241. PMID   22297287. Gale   A278760684.
  7. ↑ "Dubai: Aphanius dispar fish to assist in effective mosquito control". International Pest Control. 56 (1): 12. 2014. ProQuest   1500923148.
  8. ↑ "Aphanius dispar — Seriously Fish".


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