Cabdio occidentalis, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Lalramliana, Vatandoust, Ghanavi & Freyhof, 2023

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 249

Cabdio occidentalis

Common name. Persian morar.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from superficially similar species of Alburnus and juvenile clupeids by: ● mouth subterminal; and from Barilius mesopotamicus by: ● no barbels / ● infraorbital bones large, almost as deep as eye diameter. Size up to 150 mm SL.

Distribution. Iran and Pakistan: Mashkid basin and Garo toward Sarbaz and Bahukalat in Makran region east to Indus.

Habitat. A wide variety of small streams to large, slow-flowing rivers. Also found in reservoirs and lakes.

Biology. Omnivorous, feeding mainly on phytoplankton and zooplankton. Spawns in February–May.

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. Populations in Indus drainage may belong to this species. Commonly identified as Cabdio morar . Formerly known as Aspidoparia , which is a synonym of Cabdio . Molecular data place it in Salmostoma , from which it is distinguished by a subterminal (as opposed to terminal or superior) mouth.

Further reading. Berg 1949a (description of Iranian material); Tang et al. 2010 (molecular phylogeny); Hossain et al. 2015 (feeding); Lalramliana et al. 2019 (diversity, molecular data); Jouladeh-Roudbar et al. 2023a (description).