Alburnoides eichwaldii (De Filippi, 1863)

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 287-288

Alburnoides eichwaldii

Common name. Kura spirlin.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Alburnoides in Caspian basin and Hari drainage by: ○ horizontal eye diameter smaller than interorbital distance / ○ 13−15, usually 14, predorsal vertebrae / ○ body depth at dorsal origin usually greater than head length / ○ ventral keel scaleless, partly or completely covered by scales, usually

Habitat. Streams and rivers with fast-flowing water, usually with cobble and gravel substrate.

Biology. No data.

Conservation status. LC.

Further reading. Turan et al. 2016b (description); Bektaş et al. 2019 (phylogeny); Canoğlu et al. 2023 (barcoding).

completely or almost completely scaleless / ○ snout slightly to markedly rounded / ○ upper lip slightly projecting lower lip / ○ tip of mouth cleft situated at a horizontal line slightly to markedly below middle of eye / ○ 45−54+2−3 lateral-line scales / ○ 10−14½, usually 11−13½, branched anal rays / ○ 5−9, usually 7−8, gill rakers / ○ 13−15, usually 14, predorsal vertebrae. Size up to 142 mm SL.

Distribution. Caspian basin: Kura and Aras drainages.

Habitat. Foothill streams and rivers with well-oxygenated, fast-flowing water. Also, lakes and reservoirs. Spawns in streams on gravel. Lake populations migrate to inflowing streams and rivers to spawn.

Biology. Lives up to 7 years. Females larger than males. Matures at 1–3 years. Spawns April–June at water temperatures between 13 and 18°C, over gravel beds in fast currents. Females lay 2–3 portions of eggs per season. Eggs are sticky and adhere to substrate. Feeds mainly on benthic invertebrates and terrestrial organisms, falling on water, and algae.

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. Molecular studies suggest that A. eichwaldii hybridises with A. samiii in small coastal rivers south of Kura.

Further reading. Abdurakhmanov 1962 (biology); Bogutskaya & Coad 2009 (description); Mousavi-Sabet et al.

2015c (review); Levin et al. 2016 (barcoding, Lenkoran); Bektaş et al. 2019 (phylogeny); Kaya et al. 2020 (distribution); Canoğlu et al. 2023 (barcoding).

Hillstreams, such as the Karaj in Lake Namak basin, Iran, are the typical habitat of Alburnoides species.

Alburnoides emineae ; Euphrates drainage, Türkiye; ~ 65 mm SL.