Carasobarbus apoensis

Common name. Arabian himri.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from Carasobarbus exulatus and superficially similar Arabibarbus arabicus in Arabian Peninsula by: ● one pair of barbels / ● usually 10½ branched dorsal rays / ○ 6½ anal rays. Size up to 288 mm SL.

Distribution . Saudi Arabia: Hijaz mountain range, in wadis, draining both inland and toward Red Sea.

Habitat. Mainly upper reaches of wadis with large seasonal variations in flow.

Biology. Lives up to 19 years, possibly longer in captivity. Spawns in early spring. Feeds on both aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates and plants.

Conservation status. EN; appears to be declining within its very small range.

Remarks. Very closely related to the Mesopotamian C. luteus . The two species may only have diverged in post-glacial times when a river flowing from the mountains of western Saudi Arabia to the southernmost Shatt al-Arab dried up.

Further reading. Banister & Clarke 1977 (description); Krupp 1983 (morphology, distribution); Borkenhagen & Krupp 2013 (description, distribution).