Acanthobrama marmid, Heckel, 1843

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 277

Acanthobrama marmid

Common name. Mesopotamian bream.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Acanthobrama by: ○ pharyngeal teeth in one row / ○ usually 59−73 total lateral-line scales / ○ tip of upper lip usually below level of middle of eye (but see fish on second picture) / ○ 13−19½, usually 14−17½, branched anal rays / ○ 9−14 gill rakers / ○ 8½, rarely 7½ or 9½, branched dorsal rays / ○ snout length 27–31 % HL. Size up to 220 mm SL.

Distribution. Qweiq, Euphrates, Tigris, and Karun drainages.

Habitat. Ubiquitous species inhabiting all types of lowland standing or slow-flowing waters, such as larger streams, rivers, springs, marshes, reservoirs, lakes, and even moderately polluted waters. Usually absent from fast-flowing and cold mountain streams.

Acanthobrama orontis ; lower GÖksu, Türkiye; ~ 130 mm SL

Biology. Matures at 2–3 years and about 90 mm SL, lives 9 years, females grow faster than males. Spawns May– August. Suspected to be a fractional spawner. Feeds on aquatic invertebrates, algae, and detritus. Some populations migrate from large reservoirs to tributaries for spawning.

Conservation status. LC; in Qweiq drainage, currently restricted to Türkiye. Orontes records are misidentified A. orontis .

Further reading. Goren et al. 1973 (morphology, synonymy); Dağlı & Erdemli 2009 (description); Coad 2010a (biology); Coban & Yüksel 2013 (size, growth); Uçkun & Gökçe 2014 (age, growth, reproduction); Kaya et al. 2016 (distribution); Coad 2021b (biology, distribution).