Aphaniops stoliczkanus ( Day, 1872 )

Esmaeili, Hamid Reza, Jufaili, Saud Al, Masoumi, Amir Hassan & Zarei, Fatah, 2022, Ichthyodiversity in southeastern Arabian Peninsula: Annotated checklist taxonomy, short description and distribution of Inland fishes of Oman, Zootaxa 5134 (4), pp. 451-503 : 493-494

21. Aphaniops stoliczkanus ( Day, 1872) , Native

Fig. 50

Etymology: Aphaniops : Aphanius -opsis, resembling Aphanius ; stoliczkanus : named for Moravian zoologist Ferdinand Stoliczka (1838-1874) who worked in India for a number of years.

Common name: Arabian Killifish, Arabian Tooth-carp.

Taxonomy: Cyprinodon stoliczkanus Day [F.] 1872:258 [Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal v. 41 (pt 2, nos 1-4)] from a stream at the village Joorun and along edge of the Rann River, Lodai, India, 22°30’N, 69°20’E. It was considered as Aphaniops stoliczkanus ( Day 1872) by Esmaeili et al. (2020:5).

Syntypes: (28) AMS B.7730-31 (2), BMNH 1889.2.1.2065-2074 (orig. 21), ZSI 1477-78 (1, 1) .

Short description: Aphaniops stoliczkanus is distinguished from the other Aphaniops in the Arabian Peninsula by combination of the following characters: male usually with wide grey or brown bars at caudal peduncle; tip of dorsal fin reaching to end of hypural complex in nuptial males larger than 40 mm SL; female with a midlateral series of narrow bars, not much wider in upper part.

General distribution: Middle East: Shores of Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and easternmost Mediterranean Sea basin; Socotra (northwestern Indian Ocean). Habitat: freshwater, brackish.

Distribution in Oman: Ain Musala, Al Hamra, Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate; Al Hail, Al Seeb, Muscat Governorate; Al Wasit, Al Bureimi Governorate; Wadi Hoqain, Al Rustaq, Al Batinah Governorate; Nakhal, Al Batinah Governorate; Wadi Shab, Al Sharqiyah Governorate; Wadi Arabieen, Muscat Governorate; Sink Hole, Bimmah, Quriyat, Muscat Governorate; Bawshar Misfat, Muscat Governorate; Mudabagha, Dima Wattayeen, Al Sharqiyah Governorate; Luzug, Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate; Al Samdi, Samail, Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate; Wadi Al Athaiba, Muscat Governorate; Nizwa, Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate; Falaj Al Mashayekh, Jalaan, Al Sharqiya Governorate; Wadi Khabbah; Wadi Fanja ( Fig. 51 ).

Examined material: ZM-CBSU: O004. As 101, 35, Oman: Al Amirat, 23°30ʹ01ʹʹN, 58°29ʹ37ʹʹE, H. R. Esmaeili, S.M. Al-Jufaili, A.H. Masoumi Sep. 2021 . ZM-CBSU: O002. As 136, 70, Oman: Sur in Al Sharqiyah South Governorate, Wadi Shab, 22°50’01”N, 59°14’20”E, S.M. Al-Jufaili, Nov. 2020

Figures

FIGURE 50. Aphaniops stoliczkanus; upper) male, Oman: Nakhal; lower) female, Oman: Wadi Huqain.

FIGURE 51. Distribution map of Aphaniops stoliczkanus in Oman. Pink: Southwestern Arabian Coast, green: Oman Mountains, and yellow: Arabian Interior.