Cobitis dorademiri, Erk'akan, Ozdemir & Ozeren, 2017

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 445-446

Cobitis dorademiri

Common name. Köyceğiz spined loach.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other Cobitis species in eastern Aegean basin by: ○ very deep caudal–peduncle, depth 1.0–1.2 times in its length / ○ two laminae circularis in male / ○ back spot at upper caudal base present, often very small / ○ usually, a very regular colour pattern organised in four Gambetta zones / ○ Z4 often dissociated into a wide

Habitat. Wetlands, streams, rivers, and reservoirs, usually on sand or fine gravel in slow or moderate fast-flowing waters.

Biology. No data.

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. Sympatric with C. saniae in Agstafa drainage and potentially in other areas. Both species are very closely related, and their mode of reproductive isolation is interesting to research.

Further reading. Vasil’eva et al. 2020 (description); Vasil’eva & Vasil’ev. 2020 (osteology).

band or field of small blotches and spots / ○ blotches in Z4 much larger than in Z2 / ○ pigmentation below Z4 present, often restricted to anal base / ○ external part of suborbital spine bifurcate. Size up to 90 mm SL.

Distribution. Türkiye: Lake Köyceğiz basin, lower Dalaman drainage, and some small coastal streams in between.

Habitat. Streams and rivers with sandy or gravelly bottoms.

Biology. No data.

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

Remarks. Four different Cobitis species in Dalaman drainage make this small river a hotspot in Cobitis species diversity. Cobitis dorademiri , C. phrygica, and C. indus have two laminae circularis. These three species seem not to occur in sympatry as C. dorademiri is only known from the lower, C. indus from the middle, and C. phrygica from

Cobitis elazigensis ; upper Euphrates drainage, Türkiye; female, 122 mm SL.

upper Dalaman drainage, where it occurs adjacent to and potentially sympatric with C. fahireae . The distribution of different species in Dalaman should be better explored. It is expected that C. dorademiri and C. indus , but potentially all species, might occur in sympatry.

Further reading. Erk’akan et al. 2017 (description); Freyhof et al. 2018c (description).