Carasobarbus luteus (Heckel, 1843)

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 154-157

Carasobarbus luteus

Common name. Mesopotamian himri.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Carasobarbus in Persian Gulf and Mediterranean basins by: ● usually one pair of barbels / ○ fleshy lobe on lower lip absent / ○ 25−30 total lateral-line scales / ○ usually 12 circumpeduncular scales / ○ last unbranched dorsal ray about as long as head or slightly shorter, soft, and weakly ossified. Size up to 370 mm SL.

Distribution. Qweiq, Euphrates, Tigris, and Karun drainages. Persian Gulf south to Kol drainage. Also, in Kor endorheic basin ( Iran).

Habitat. Lowland rivers, backwaters, lakes, reservoirs, springs, and ponds, rarely in fast-flowing waters. Tolerant of high salinity and reported from fully marine waters. Spawns on submerged vegetation.

Biology. Lives up to 8 years. Spawns first time at 1−2 years and about 90−140 mm SL; in Atatürk reservoir at 3 years. Spawns April−June (in Hammar Marsh) or May−July (in

Shatt al-Arab/Arvand). During spawning, male become reddish-brown on anterior part of body and greenish on caudal peduncle, while female is less colourful. Males can produce a series of sharp clicking sounds. Eggs are yellow to orange and sticky. Growth is reported to be slower in brackish water than in freshwater. Mainly herbivorous, taking detritus and small invertebrates, especially when young.

Conservation status. LC. Extirpated in Syrian reaches of Qweiq.

Remarks. Individuals with two pairs of barbels are very rare. In the Naband drainage in Iran, all individuals have two pairs of barbels, and this population may represent an undescribed species. Records from Orontes drainage and Damascus basin appear to have been mislabelled or taken from markets where fish from the Euphrates are sold. In some places, it is kept as a “sacred” fish in parks and holy places where it can be abundant. It adapts well to visitors, and people enjoy seeing it begging for food.

Further reading. Ahmed et al. 1984 (reproductive biology); Naama & Mushen 1986 (feeding); Mohamed et al. 1993 (occurrence in marine waters);Coad 2010a (biology);Tsigenopoulos

Carasobarbus luteus ; Tigris, Türkiye; 130 mm SL. Large rivers as the Botan are habitat of Carasobarbus kosswigi .

et al. 2010 (phylogeny); Borkenhagen et al. 2011 (phylogeny); Borkenhagen & Krupp 2013 (description, distribution); Kaya et al. 2016 (distribution); Coad 2021a (biology, morphology).

Balıklıgöl: From ancient myths to saved fish. West Asia is a spiritual center for major religions and beliefs and one of the places where the world’s earliest civilisations originated. As a result, a plethora of myths, legends, and folktales based on both pagan and Islamic beliefs exist, many of which continue to shape modern-day lives at the local level. Balıklıgöl (or Halil-Ür Rahman Lake), a pool in the southwest of the city center of Şanlıurfa, is one of the most attractive places in this regard. It also provides an illustrative example of how verbal cultural heritages can potentially become a powerful tool in fish conservation. One of the myths associated with the lake dates back to approximately 8000 BC and is linked with Atargatis, the great goddess of northern Syria. The prevailing belief was that the fish in city ponds and canals associated with the goddess’s reign were either a transformed form of herself or entities created by her activities, such as bathing in these waters. Another prominent and well-established belief is rooted in early Islam and is linked to the story of the conflict between Prophet Abraham and King Nimrod. In this narrative, Nimrod is angry with Abraham for rejecting his idols. Nimrod then throws Abraham into a raging fire with an arbalest, but God transforms the flames into water (the pool of Balıklıgöl) and the logs into fish. While there have been a few other similar myths, as was believed by the older societies, the pool and the fishes inside are still considered sacred by all means, and catching or eating the fishes is strictly forbidden, which makes this a case of one of the oldest practises of fish conservation. The Balıklıgöl pool is connected to the stream Karakoyun, a tributary of the upper Euphrates, which is fed by a large karstic aquifer. Four fish species occur in the pools: Alburnus caeruleus , Carasobarbus luteus , Capoeta damascina , and Garra rufa . In her pilgrimage account, written around 380 BC, Etheria already observed fountains full of fish of size, brightness, and flavor that she had never seen before.

Further reading. McClure & Feltoe 1919 (The pilgrimage of Etheria); Arslan 2015 (history); Ünlü 2021 (species).

Carasobarbus saadatii ; Karun, Iran; 175 mm SL.