Garra orontesi, Baycelebi, Kaya, Turan & Freyhof, 2021

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 207

Garra orontesi

Common name. Orontes garra.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Garra in Central Anatolia, Mediterranean, and Dead Sea basins by: ○ two pairs of normally developed barbels / ○ gular disc fully developed / ○ usually 8½ branched dorsal / ○ 35–38 total lateral-line scales / ○ 17–21 gill rakers on lower limb of first gill arch / ○ no tubercles on upper posterior eye margin / ○ maximum head width 73–82 % HL / ○ 2–3, rarely 4 scales between tip of pectoral and pelvic origin / ○ a slightly pointed snout / ○ body depth at dorsal origin 22–25 % SL / ○ caudal peduncle 13–14 % SL. Size up to 130 mm SL.

Garra persica ; Rudan drainage, Iran; 50 mm SL.

Distribution. Orontes and Nahr al-Kabir North drainages in Türkiye and Syria.

Habitat. A wide range of lakes, reservoirs, canals, streams, and rivers with at least small rock or gravel areas. Springs without much current, but usually in moderate to fast-flowing waters. Resistant to moderate pollution and can reach very high abundance in shallow, polluted streams.

Biology. Feeds on periphyton.

Conservation status. LC.

Further reading. Yalçin-Özdilek & Ekmekçi 2006 (food); Hamidan et al. 2014 (molecular phylogeny); Hashemzadeh Segherloo et al. 2016a (molecular phylogeny); Bayçelebi et al. 2021a (description).