Oxynoemacheilus insignis is a species of stone loach It is restricted to the Damascus basin in Syria and to the Jordan-Dead Sea basin in Syria, Israel and Jordan. Its natural habitat is rivers. It is threatened by the drying up of the rivers and streams in which it is found, caused by overuse, damming and less rainfall, as well as by pollution. In Syria it has been extirpated from the Barada and can now only be found in the upper reaches of the Awaj to the west of Damascus. It is a highly variable species and different populations can differ from their neighbouring populations that in the past they have been described as species or subspecies and this has led to a large number of synonyms for Oxynoemacheilus insignis.
Oxynoemacheilus ceyhanensis, the Elbistan loach, is a species of Cypriniformes fish in the stone loach genus Oxynoemacheilus. It is found in moderately fast flowing streams with gravel or rocky beds and is known only from the Elbistan in upper drainage of the Ceyhan River in south eastern Turkey.
Oxynoemacheilus namiri, the Levantine loach, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Oxynoemacheilus. This species is common and widespread in the drainage system of the Orontes in Turkey and Syria, as well as in coastal streams in Syria south of the border with Lebanon, where it can be found in springs, reservoirs, streams and rivers.
Oxynoemacheilus samanticus, the Kizilirmak sportive loach, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Oxynoemacheilus. It is found in streams and rivers with a fast current over gravel substrate and is endemic to eastern Anatolia, Turkey where it is found in the Kizilirmak system which drains into the Black Sea, as well as the headwaters of the Euphrates.
Oxynoemacheilus bergianus, the Kura sportive loach, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Oxynoemacheilus. This species is found in Lake Urumiyeh and Namak Lake basins in Iran, in the southern Caspian basin from Kura east to the Sefid-Rud drainage. It can also be found in the headwaters of Tigris in Turkey, Iraq and in Karoun, Iran as well as those of the Euphrates in Turkey and possibly in Syria and Iraq. It lives in fast flowing streams and rivers with gravel and rocky substrates and does not tolerate impoundments, dam construction having been identified as a major potential threat to this species.
The Kura loach, also known as the Caspian sportive loach, is an Asian species of freshwater fish, occurring in the drainage basin of the Kura in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran. It prefers fast to very fast flowing streams and rivers which have a gravel or rocky substrate and is most frequently recorded among riffles and rapids in the middle of stream. It is widespread and locally abundant but populations have been lost due to the construction of dams for hydroelectric power and for abstraction. The specific bane honours the German naturalist Johann Friedrich von Brandt (1802-1879), who provided Karl Kessler with most of the specimens he used to describe this species.
Oxynoemacheilus argyrogramma, the two-spot loach is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Oxynoemacheilus. This species is found in the drainage of the Queiq River in Syria and Turkey, and the upper Euphrates drainage in Turkey and possibly in this drainage in Syria and Iraq. It has almost been extirpated from the Queiq as this river has virtually dried out but it remains abundant in the Euphrates. This species can be found in a wide range of habitats as long as there is a moderately fast current from small upland streams to banks of large rivers. It can also occur in stagnant water bodies such as reservoirs. It is threatened by water abstraction, lowering rainfall due to climate change and the construction of dams. The economic development of the area where this species occurs exacerbates these threats. Freyhof and Özuluǧ published a paper in 2017 that argued that Oxynoemacheilus euphraticus was a valid species and not a synonym of O. argyrogramma.
Oxynoemacheilus frenatus, the banded Tigris loach, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Oxynoemacheilus. This species is widespread in the upper drainage basin of the Tigris in Turkey, Syria and Iraq where it can be locally very common. It can be found in habitats varying from streams with a moderately fast current to near standing waters in springs, streams and rivers which have beds of gravel or mud.
Oxynoemacheilus mediterraneus, the Pamphylian loach, is a species of Cypriniformes fish in the genus Oxynoemacheilus. This species is found in the Lake Eğirdir drainage of central Anatolia and in the Aksu and Küpü rivers draining to the Gulf of Antalya. It is widespread and normally abundant in streams with fast flowing currents to almost standing waters. It is, however, locally decreasing due to dam constructions and is also threatened by pollution and water abstraction, as well as by reduced regional rainfall due to climate change.
Oxynoemacheilus panthera, the tiger loach or the Damascus loach, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Oxynoemacheilus. It occurs in only two streams, the Nahr Baradá and Nahr al-A‘waj in the Damascus basin in Syria. It is thought that over 90% of the populations of this species of stone loach have been lost due to water abstraction and the drying up of its native watercourses, exacerbated by lower rainfall levels.
Oxynoemacheilus phoxinoides, the Iznik loach, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Oxynoemacheilus. The species is endemic to a single small stream, less than 5 km in length in the drainage of Lake Iznik in north-western Anatolia, Turkey. The species is abundant in its restricted habitat but the population seems to be declining with abstraction of water from the stream for irrigation thought to be the main threat but as climate changed reduces the rainfall in the region the likelihood of droughts is increased.
Oxynoemacheilus tigris, the Tigris loach or Halap loach, is a species of stone loach from the genus Oxynoemacheilus. This critically endangered species is endemic to the Queiq River in Turkey where it occurs ins a short stretch of stream between two reservoirs. It formerly occurred in Syria but it has been local extinction from the Syrian portion of the Queiq. This species is threatened by water abstraction and the increased frequency of droughts caused by climate change, most of the Queiq has already been desiccated. It is, however, abundant in the area it is known from where it can be found in reaches of gravel or mud substrate with moderately fast flowing to near standing water.
Oxynoemacheilus is a genus of fish in the family Nemacheilidae found in Europe and Western Asia.
Oxynoemacheilus anatolicus, the Burdur loach, is a species of stone loach in the genus Oxynoemacheilus. It has been only recorded from three spring fed streams which used to drain into Lake Burdur in south-western Anatolia, Turkey. Its habitat is streams with a slow current flowing through dense aquatic vegetation over a bed of sand, mud or gravel. It is still found in the three streams and in one it is said to be abundant but it is still threatened by water extraction, pollution and dam construction. In addition, waterbodies in the area it is found in are drying out because of climate change and unsustainable extraction of water for human use.
Oxynoemacheilus banarescui, the Paphlagonian sportive loach, is a species of stone loach from the genus Oxynoemacheilus. It is endemic to the Filyos River in northern Turkey where it is currently widespread and abundant. However, the population appears to be declining and the causes of this are thought to be increased development of the drainage basin and the construction of new dams. This species prefers fast flowing streams with rocky or gravel bottoms and cannot survive in reservoirs, although the dams on the Fliyos are for flood control and not to create reservoirs and their impact on this species is unknown. The specific name honours Petre Mihai Bănărescu (1921-2009), a Romanian ichthyologist.
Oxynoemacheilus cyri, the Göle loach or banded Kura loach, is a species of stone loach from the genus Oxynoemacheilus. It is endemic to the Kura drainage in northern Turkey where it is currently locally abundant. This species occurs in high mountain streams with fast flowing currents. The specific name derives from the classical name for the Kura, "Cyrus".
Oxynoemacheilus eregliensis is a species of stone loach from the streams and springs with gravel, sand or mud substrate and slowly flowing water in the area of the Lake Tuz basin in central Anatolia in Turkey.
Oxynoemacheilus merga, Krynicki's loach, is a species of stone loach from the genus Oxynoemacheilus. This species reaches a length of 10 cm (3.9 in). It is found in the western drainage basin of the Caspian Sea in eastern Europe in the upper mountain streams of the drainage systems of the Kuma, Terek, Sulak, Shura-ozen and Samur where it is abundant. The countries in which it occurs are Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia.
Oxynoemacheilus simavicus, the Simav loach, is a species of stone loach from the genus Oxynoemacheilus. It is endemic to a single stream, the Simav, which is a tributary of the Gediz in western Anatolia, Turkey. The populations has declined and this is caused by threats such as pollution and extraction of water leading to an evaluation of this species conservation status by the IUCN as Critically Endangered.
