Cyprinion tenuiradius, Heckel, 1847

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 173-174

Cyprinion tenuiradius

Common name. Persian lotak.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Cyprinion in Persian Gulf and Iranian endorheic basins by: ○ mouth wide, variably arched to straight / ○ no lateral lobes or pad on lower lip or small lateral lobes present / ○ 10−21 gill rakers / ○ 32−39, usually 34−38, total lateral-line scales / ○ last unbranched dorsal ray thin, flexible along at least upper third, usually serrated from half to two-thirds of length / ○ posterior dorsal margin about straight or slightly concave / ○ with or without orange spots along lateral line / ○ 11−15½, usually 12−14½, branched dorsal rays / ○ back in front of dorsal with naked median strip of variable length and about one scale wide / ○ scales on belly and upper anterior flank variably imbricated and often small and embedded in skin or absent. Size up to 130 mm SL.

Distribution. Iran: Persian Gulf basin from Helleh to Kol drainages, and Kor endorheic basin.

Habitat. A wide range of streams and rivers.

Biology. No data.

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. Cyprinion tenuiradius occurs between the range of C. macrostomum in the north and C. microphthalmum in the south. It is also morphologically intermediate between these two species, with populations more or less resembling C. macrostomum or C. microphthalmum , often making identification difficult. Furthermore, C. tenuiradius shares its mtDNA with C. macrostomum or C. microphthalmum , and no species-specific mtDNA characters have been found so far . It is expected that C. tenuiradius has its evolutionary origin in hybridisation of C. macrostomum and C. microphthalmum , and the species’ distribution area is a wide hybrid zone between two parental species. We accept it as a species of hybrid origin, a problematic position that needs to be studied in more detail.

Further reading. Bănărescu & Herzig-Straschil 1995 (description); Teimori et al. 2010 (distribution); Nasri et al. 2018 (morphology).

Cyprinus is considered a pest in some countries, such as the USA, A genus of about 24 species distributed mainly in southern it is generally regarded as a valuable addition to fishing China and northern Vietnam. Several species were endemic opportunities. In West Asia, where it is non-native to most to lakes and may have formed adaptive radiations and species catchment areas, it has been and still is stocked widely. The flocks. All these radiations are extinct, and only a few of the presence of carp outside of its native range is perceived as species involved remain. A few locally and regionally endemic normal. If you ask someone at a reservoir which fish live carps are known from East Asia, all potentially under massive there, the answer is almost always carp. Carp are especially pressure from introduced non-native carps.In West Asia,only recognised and appreciated because they grow big.Humans Cyprinus carpio is native.In Europe,carp appears to have been are fascinated by big fish, whether for food, recreational domesticated since the Middle Ages, and cultivated stocks are fishing or just to see them. Catching big fish is an ancient, domesticated from the Danube wild population. Wild stocks deeply ingrained human fascination, and the person who occur naturally only in rivers draining the Black, Caspian, catches a big fish is highly regarded by their social circle. and Aral Seas. Carps are now found almost everywhere in Carp is one of the few large species that is ecologically well- West Asia.Since the 1960s, they have spread massively into all suited to being stocked in artificial water bodies. Silurus reservoirs and other large bodies of water. Interestingly, carp glanis is another. The production of carp is big business, are relatively rare in most natural bodies of water and seem with all kinds of equipment available, ranging from bait to have established populations primarily in large rivers and and fishing tackle to fish finders, tents, video games, films reservoirs. Japanese ornamental varieties (koi) are thought to and clothing. It is just another multi-million-pound indusbe derived from C. rubrofuscus or to be hybrids with C. carpio . try. Carp angling is also a social event with international However, molecular data do not support this hypothesis, sug- competitions and tourist travels. The internet is full of gesting instead that the native range of C. carpio extends deep offers of what one needs and can do to catch ‘the big carp’. into China, with many native Chinese populations belonging As with all businesses, the aim is to expand and create new to this species. The situation may be complicated by the wide- markets. West Asian countries are a new market for all carp spread introduction of European carp into the native range of fishing products. All that is needed is enough advertising to C. rubrofuscus . convince people to buy them. Reservoirs and carp already

Cyprinus carpio is widely cultivated around the world exist everywhere and are perceived as normal and native, and is one of the most important species for aquaculture even though they are only native to a very small part of and inland fisheries in temperate regions. Although it the area.

Cyprinus carpio ; Regreg drainage, Morocco; ~ 200 mm SL.