Barbus lacerta Heckel, 1843

Çiçek, Erdoğan, Jawad, Laith, Eagderi, Soheil, Esmaeili, Hamid Reza, Mouludi-Saleh, Atta, Sungur, Sevil & Fricke, Ronald, 2023, Freshwater fishes of Iraq: a revised and updated annotated checklist- 2023, Zootaxa 5357 (1), pp. 1-49 : 15

Barbus lacerta Heckel, 1843 [N]—Lizard barbel

Taxonomy. Original description: Barbus lacerta Heckel, 1843: 1044 [54] [Kueik (Qwaik) River near Aleppo, Syria; lectotype: NMW 54227-1].— Iraq synonyms: Barbus scincus Heckel, 1843 ; Barbus kosswigi Karaman, 1971 .—Revisions: Khaefi et al. (2017a).—Illustration: Heckel (1843: pl. 2., fig. 1); Khaefi et al. (2017a: 102, figs. 6, 7).

Status in Iraq. First record from Iraq by Heckel (1843).—Iraq materials: Baghdad Natural History Museum.

Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Iraq: Euphrates River basin.—General distribution: Middle East: Euphrates and Tigris River basins ( Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq).—Habitat: This species inhabits Mountain and piedmont zones in streams and small rivers with fast, clear, and well oxygenated water and gravel substrate. In lowlands usually most common in small streams and absent from large rivers. Freshwater.

Economic importance. Locally consumed, but of no commercial importance.

Conservation. Conservation Status in Iraq: Unknown.—IUCN: LC (IUCN 2023).—Threats: ABS, CON, HAB.— Moderate sensitivity to human activities.—Not considered a keystone species.—Decline status:Decreasing.— Moderate priority for conservation action.