Cobitis saniae, Eagderi, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Jalili, Sayyadzadeh & Esmaeili, 2017

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 457-460

Cobitis saniae

Common name. Western Caspian spined loach.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Cobitis in Caspian and Black Sea basin by: ○ subdorsal scales with a small focal zone, about or less than ⅒ of maximum scale diameter / ○ blotches in Z4 horizontally elongate, often very densely set and fused into short or longer stripes

anterior to dorsal origin / ○ dark-brown spot at upper caudal base well developed / ○ one lamina circularis in male / ○ plate of lamina circularis reaching to or beyond end of third segment of attached pectoral ray / ○ base of lamina circularis widely connected to pectoral ray / ○ cheek between eye and opercle strongly pigmented. Size up to 85 mm SL.

Cobitis saniae ; Lenkoran, Azerbaijan; male, 55 mm SL.

Distribution. Sefid ( Iran) north-west to Kura and Aras in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Türkiye and Zarrineh drainage in Lake Urmia basin.

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

Biology. No data.

Cobitis satunini ; Kintrishi, Georgia; female, ~ 90 mm SL.© M. Geiger. Cobitis satunini ; Tuzla drainage, Türkiye; male, ~ 50 mm SL.

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. A record from middle Rioni in Georgian Black Sea basin may be a lapsus.

Further reading. Eagderi et al. 2017b (description); Vasil’eva et al. 2020 (distribution in Caucasus).

Cobitis satunini Remarks. Cobitis satunini is closely related to European Common name. Colchic spined loach. C. taenia . Cobitis taenia is distinguished by having 48 chro-

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Cobitis in mosomes (vs. 50). Records of Cobitis along the southern Black Sea basin by: ○ pigmentation in Z3 usually complete, Black Sea coast are very sparse, and we are not aware of reaching much behind dorsal base / ○ pigmentation in Z3 findings of Cobitis (except C. simplicispina ) between Trabzon usually wider than pigmentation in Z2 / ○ blotches in Z 4 in east and Bartın in west. Cobitis from Western Black Sea irregularly roundish or squarish anterior to dorsal origin / basin, Marmara and northern Aegean had been identified ○ focal zone of subdorsal scale small, about ⅓–⅒ of vertical as C. taenia . But these fish have 50 chromosomes and are scale diameter / ○ one lamina circularis in male / ○ base of also close to C. satunini by morphological and molecular lamina circularis with a narrow connection to pectoral ray. characters. Cobitis osurgeticus has recently been treated as Size up to 90 mm SL. a valid species for most of the populations identified here

Distribution. From Kintrich in Georgia [entering Black Sea as C. satunini . It is distinguished from C. satunini by very at 41.80388, 41.76916] clockwise to İyidere, Filyos and Bartın small differences in chromosomes and morphometric chardrainages in southwestern Black Sea basin and from Tuzla acters (both populations are probably conspecific). Cobitis (northernmost Aegean) east to Lake İznik basin, including osurgeticus is a numen nudum, as its description is not valid, Sursuluk drainage. despite later indications, and the name is not available.

Habitat. Still to moderately flowing clear water streams Further reading. Gladkov 1935 (description); Freyhof with mud or sand bottoms. et al. 2018c (description, distribution); Vasil'eva et al. 2024

Biology. No data. ( C. osurgeticus )

Conservation status. LC.

Cobitis simplicispina ; Sakarya drainage, Türkiye; male, 73 mm SL.

Cobitis simplicispina ; Sakarya drainage, Türkiye; female, ~ 100 mm SL. Cobitis simplicispina ; Lake Akşehir drainage, Türkiye; male, 65 mm SL. Cobitis simplicispina ; Lake Akşehir drainage, Türkiye; female, 129 mm SL.