Glyptothorax armeniacus (Berg, 1918)

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 606-607

Glyptothorax armeniacus

Common name. Euphrates torrent catfish.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Glyptothorax in West Asia by: ● head, back, and flank with many minute tubercles and few roundish warts / ○ thoracic adhesive apparatus strongly elevated, 1.0–1.5 times longer than wide, usually extending from isthmus to base of last pectoral ray or to posterior limit of pectoral base / ○ striae restricted to elevated apparatus / ○ anteromedial striae numerous and well developed / ○ medial pit without striae / ○ 9–12 serrae on pectoral spine / ○ all fins with a distinct, distal yellow tip / ○ adipose short, its length 0.7–1.1 times larger than distance between base of last dorsal ray and adipose origin / ○ caudal moderately forked, shortest middle caudal ray 62–69 % of longest ray of upper caudal lobe / ○ head and body dark-brown without or with small, often indistinct brown or black spots. Size up to 220 mm SL.

Distribution. Türkiye and Syria: Upper Euphrates drainage.

Habitat. Fast-flowing water in rapids and riffles on rock or gravel substrate. Limited to hill stream habitats.

Biology. Nocturnal, hiding under rocks during day. Feeds on benthic invertebrates.

Glyptothorax cous ; Lesser Zab drainage, Iraq; 160 mm SL. ©Y. Abdullah.

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. Despite some fieldwork in the region, the Glyptothorax recorded from the Yeşilırmak drainage in Anatolian Black Sea basin has never been confirmed. It cannot be excluded that such catfish occur there, and as the Yeşilırmak is adjacent to the Euphrates, it is likely that this species will be identified as G. armeniacus .

Further reading. Berg 1918 (description); Coad & Delmastro 1985 (Yeşilırmak); Freyhof et al. 2021c (description).

Glyptothorax cous ; Lesser Zab drainage, Iraq; 152 mm SL. ©Y. Abdullah.