Chondrostoma ceyhanense, Kucuk, Turan, Guclu Mutlu & Ciftci, 2017

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 333-334

Chondrostoma ceyhanense

Common name. Cilician nase.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Chondrostoma in Central Anatolia and eastern Mediterranean basin by:○ 59−68 total lateral-line scales / ○ usually 6–6 pharyngeal

Further reading. Bogutskaya 1997a (description); Güçlü et al. 2018 (morphology); Çiftçi et al. 2020 (phylogeny); Bayçelebi et al. 2020a (distribution).

teeth / ○ 8–9½ branched dorsal rays / ○ 9−11½, usually 9½, branched anal rays / ○ 24−29 gill rakers / ○ poorly cornified sheath covering lower lip / ○ back in front of dorsal without keel / ○ keel between anus and posterior pelvic base shallow but well-developed. Size up to 265 mm SL.

Distribution. Türkiye: Tarsus, Seyhan, and Ceyhan drainages.

Habitat. Moderate to fast-flowing large to medium-sized rivers with rocky or gravelly bottom. Common in reservoirs. Spawns in fast-flowing waters on shallow gravel beds, often in small tributaries.

Biology. Lives up to 5 years. First spawns at 2–3 years. Spawns April–June (Sır Reservoir, Ceyhan). Feeds on periphyton scraped from hard substrate.

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. Chondrostoma ceyhanense , C. kinzelbachi , and C. toros are very closely related to C. regium and are difficult to distinguish. Future research may clarify whether they are better treated as distinct populations of C. regium . Further reading. Kara & Solak 2004 (age, growth; as C. regium ); Küçük et al. 2017 (description); Çiftçi et al. 2020 (phylogeny).

Chondrostoma colchicum ; Çoruh drainage, Türkiye; ~ 140 mm SL. © M. Özuluğ.