Cobitis simplicispina, Hanko, 1925

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 460-461

Cobitis simplicispina

Common name. Galatian spined loach.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Cobitis in Black Sea basin and endorheic Anatolian basins of Lakes Akşehir, Eber, and Ilgın by: ● two laminae circularis in male. Size up to 130 mm SL.

Distribution. Türkiye: Sakarya and Kızılırmak drainages and endorheic basins of Lakes Eber, Akşehir and Ilgın.

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

Biology. No data.

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. There is a doubtful record of C. simplicispina from Lake İznik, which has not been validated yet. Only C. satunini was so far found in Lake İznik. Cobitis simplicispina is the only species of Cobitis found in Black Sea basin having two laminae circularis, and it is immediately distinguished by its large size and the blotches in Z4 organised in one series, often fused into short or longer stripes (vs. blotches in Z4 well separated in other species). Molecular data place C. simplicispina in a group of species from Central Anatolia and the Mediterranean basin, indicating a past biogeographic connection between these regions.

Cobitis sipahilerae ; stream at DÖşemealtı, Türkiye; female, 69 mm SL.