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 leontinae is a species of stone loach found in the Jordan and Litani river systems in Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. Its natural habitat is slow moving rivers.
Oxynoemacheilus galilaeus also known as the Galilean Stone Loach is a species of stone loach in the family Nemacheilidae native to Israel and Syria.
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 hamwii, the Orontes sportive loach, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Oxynoemacheilus. This species is found in the headwaters of the Orontes River but is now restricted to three streams in the Turkish part of the drainage, two joining the lower Orontes in Turket and the third flowing into the Afrin River in Syria, and has been extirpated from Syria. It was described as being very common in the late 20th century, but it is sensitive to pollution and requires clear, flowing streams over mud or gravel. The drainage of the Orontes is heavily used by humans and lower rainfall in the region caused by climate change may exacerbate the threat to this species by increasing the amount of water taken from the streams by humans and by lowering the water table.
Cyprinion kais, the Kais kingfish or smallmouth lotak, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Cyprinion. It is found in the drainage basins of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, and was also found in the Queiq system but it appears to have been extirpated from that basin following the drying up of that river. Its range covers Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Its preferred habitat is flowing water in larger warm streams and rivers from where it migrates to canals and probably to other artificial water bodies to forage.
Oxynoemacheilus theophilii is a species of stone loach native to Turkey and the island of Lesbos in Greece. This species occurs in streams and reaches a length of 6.6 centimetres (2.6 in) SL. It is found in the Büyük Menderes River and other streams in western Anatolia, Turkey, and the Evergetoulas Stream on the island of Lesbos, Greece. It can be found in the upper reaches of streams with clear, cold, flowing water where it hides among the stones of the stream bed. The stomach contents of a single female were found to consist of aquatic insect larvae. Water abstraction and the increased droughts caused by climate change are the main threats.
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 germencicus, the Carian loach, is a species of Cypriniformes fish in the genus Oxynoemacheilus. It is known only from the Büyük Menderes River and lower Gediz River in western Anatolia, it probably also occurred in the Kücük Menderes, a river which sits between the Büyük Menderes and Gediz, and has been extirpated from that river by pollution and abstraction. It remains widespread and locally abundant in the other two rivers but the populations have declined and the species is threatened by climate change reducing rainfall in the area and human activities such as damming and water abstraction as well as pollution>
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 due to climate change.
Angora loach is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Nemacheilidae. It is found in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey. It is found in Sea of Marmara and Black Sea from Simav east to Kızılırmak River drainages and drainages of Ilgin, Lake Akşehir and Lake Eber.
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 atili, the Lake Beyşehir loach, is a species of stone loach from the genus Oxynoemacheilus. It is endemic to Turkey being found only in the drainage basin of Lake Beyşehir in Central Anatolia, where it occurs in all the streams and in the Manavgat drainage in Mediterranean basin.
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 parvinae is a species of stone loach which is endemic to the drainage of the Sirvan River, a tributary of the Tigris in Kermanshah Province of Iran where it prefers reasonable fast flowing, relatively clear water of a gravel substrate. it has not been evaluated for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species but it may be threatened by drought, water abstraction and pollution. The specific name honours Parvin Etesami, a famous Iranian poet of the 20th-century.
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.
