Romanogobio macropterus (Kamensky, 1901)

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 266-268

Romanogobio macropterus

Common name. Caucasian stone gudgeon.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from R. persus by: ● 41–45,usually 42–43 total lateral-line scales / ● 38–42, usually 40–41 total vertebrae / ● supraorbital and infraorbital canals usually connected. Size up to 110 mm SL.

Distribution. Kura and Aras drainages.

Habitat. Fast-flowing stretches of rivers and streams with gravel and rocky substrate.

Biology. Lives up to 3 years and usually matures at 2 years. Spawns late April–June at water temperatures between 12−18°C. Fractional spawner, female usually spawn three times in a season. Feeds on aquatic invertebrates.

Conservation status. VU; has declined sharply due to hydropower development and pollution.

Further reading. Naseka et al. 1999 (morphology, biology); Kaya et al. 2020a (distribution).

Romanogobio persus ; Lake Urmia basin, Iran; 73 mm SL.

Romanogobio persus Habitat. Fast-flowing sections of streams and rivers with Common name. Persian gudgeon. gravel or rock bottoms.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from R. macropterus by: ● 40–42, Biology. Feeds on aquatic invertebrates.

usually 40–41 total lateral-line scales / ● 37–40, usually Conservation status. EN; appears to decline within its very 38–39 total vertebrae / ● usually no connection between small range. Extirpated from Mahabad, Gedar and Talkheh supraorbital and infraorbital canals. Size up to 73 mm SL. drainages and seems to occur now only in middle Zarrineh.

Distribution. Iran: Lake Urmia basin, in southern and Further reading. Naseka et al. 1999 (morphology, eastern tributaries. distribution).

No water was visible when driving around Lake Urmia in autumn 2018.

Copernicus Service information 2024.

Lake Urmia. Lake Urmia (or Orumiyeh) is situated in northwestern Iran at an altitude of 1,250 m. With a total surface area ranging from 4,750 to 6,100 km 2 and a maximum depth of 16 m, it was once the largest lake in West Asia and one of the largest permanent hypersaline lakes in the world. Lake Urmia is a tectonic lake formed by the folding caused by the collision of the Arabian plate with the Eurasian plate. It may be only 0.5 million years old, and its biogeographic affinities are with the Aras adjacent to the north. During periods of higher humidity in the past, Urmia was a freshwater lake of considerable size, allowing fish to migrate between tributaries. As the lake dried out and became a ‘salt lake’, it was once one of the largest natural habitats for the crustacean Artemia urmiana , which was of considerable economic importance. However, in the latter decades of the 20 th century and the early years of the 21 st century, the environmental conditions around Lake Urmia deteriorated rapidly. In 2013, A. urmiana was declared extinct in the lake due to the extremely high salinity levels. The lake’s salinity has risen to more than 300 g /L due to a combination of drought, the construction of dams, and increased groundwater pumping from the surrounding area. This has led to the desiccation of large areas of the lake. The inflowing streams and rivers have been blocked by dams, which have choked the water supply from the mountains that tower on the two sides of the lake. By the end of 2017, the lake had shrunk to 10 % of its former size (and 1/60 of the water volume in 1998). Plans for the recovery of the lake have been in place for several years, including the drainage of large amounts of water from the Aras to Lake Urmia. However, despite these efforts, the situation has stayed the same, and the lake has dried out. Further reading. National Geography Organization of Iran 2003 (Lake Urmia).