| Family: |
Aphaniidae (Oriental killifishes) |
| Max. size: |
4.9 cm TL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
benthopelagic; brackish |
| Distribution: |
Western Indian Ocean: endemic to the Gulf Coast of Iran. (Ref. 31728). Aphanius farsicus has been recorded and collected only from the Maharlu Lake Basin, near Shiraz, Fars province, where it inhabits small freshwater spring-stream systems and pools of varying salinity. Due to the recent droughts in southern Iran, the species is in strong need of conservation (Ref. 88150). |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-14; Anal soft rays: 10-12. A comparison of the meristic characters reveals that the values obtained from the fossil Aphanius persicus (Priem, 1908) are similar to those obtained from the extant A. persicus (Jenkins, 1910), but that the mean numbers of dorsal-fin rays and pectoral fin rays are lower in the fossil. In addition, differences are recognizable with regard to the scales (size and morphology) and teeth (sizes of lateral cusps). The scales are considerably smaller in the fossil than in the extant species. In addition, the morphology of the scales differs as the radii of the fossil scales are separated from each other in the anterior part of the scale, whereas the radii in the scales of the extant species lack this separation. Moreover, the fossil scales have a lower number of circuli and radii in the anterior field than the scales of the recent species. the comparison of the tricuspid jaw teeth at the premaxillary and dentary reveals that the central cusp is of similar length in the fossil and the extant species, but that the lateral cusps are slightly longer (0.05 mm) in the fossil in comparison with the recent species (0.02–0.03 mm) (Ref. 88150). |
| Biology: |
|
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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