Fishes of Afghanistan; a revised and updated annotated checklist.

The current status of the ichthyofauna of Afghanistan is revised, and an updated checklist is presented. The confirmed fishes of Afghanistan comprise 121 species belonging to 11 orders, 22 families, and 68 genera. Among these, 18 species (14.9%) are alien, and 7 species (5.8%) are considered endemic to Afghanistan. The orders with the largest numbers of species in the ichthyofauna of Afghanistan are Cypriniformes (88 species), followed by Siluriformes (14 species), Anabantiformes (4 species), Acipenseriformes, Salmoniformes, and Cyprinodontiformes (3 species in each). At the family level, Cyprinidae have the greatest number of species (36 species; 29.8% of the total species), followed by Nemacheilidae (22 species), Leuciscidae (12 species), Danionidae (8 species), and Sisoridae (6 species). A total of 48 species previously reported from Afghanistan have been excluded from the checklist, either in the present study or in previous studies. According to the IUCN Red List criteria, among 121 listed fish species, 19 (15.7%) are in the threatened categories, with 4 (3.3%) CR, 6 (5.0%) EN, and 9 (7.4%) VU. Of the total number of taxa assessed, 5.0% (6 species) are NT and 51.2% (62 species) are LC. A total of 29 species are (24.0%) Not Evaluated (NE) and 5 species (4.1%) are classified as DD.

Capoeta ekmekciae Turan, Kottelat, Kirankaya & Engin, 2006, a junior synonym of Capoeta capoeta (Güldenstädt, 1773) (Teleostei: Cyprinidae).

Some recent works have proposed that Capoeta ekmekciae from the Çoruh River and C. capoeta from the Kura-Aras River system are synonyms based on molecular data, which prompted this study to compare their morphometric, meristic and molecular data to investigate this hypothesis. Based on the results, the C. ekmekciae form displays morphometric and meristic traits quite similar to the C. capoeta form. Since there are no diagnostic traits to distinguish these two allopatric species from each other and they share identical cytb gene, we treat C. ekmekciae as a junior synonym of C. capoeta.

Freshwater lampreys and fishes of Turkey; a revised and updated annotated checklist 2020.

The current status of the inland waters ichthyofauna of Turkey is revised, and an updated checklist of the freshwater fishes is presented. The latest checklist included all species listed in the available previous study that was published in 2015, which is now updated after a period of five years. We revised the validity of previously accepted species and added newly described and reported species in Turkey. Some previously erroneously reported species and not established alien fishes were excluded from this checklist. A total of 384 fish species belonging to 20 orders and 34 families have been reported in the inland waters of Turkey. Among these, 15 species (3.9%) are non-native and 208 species (54.2%) are considered as endemic to Turkey. A total of 119 species previously reported from Turkey have been excluded from Turkish ichthyofauna list, either in the present study or in previous studies.

Alburnoides recepi, a junior synonym of Alburnus caeruleus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae).

Alburnoides recepi was described from the stream Merzimen, a tributary of the Euphrates in Turkey. Morphometric, meristic and molecular (Cyt b) characters of A. recepi are largely overlapping or even identical with those of Alburnus         caeruleus, a species known from the Qweik, Euphrates and Tigris River drainages. Alburnoides recepi is treated as a synonym of A. caeruleus.

Predictive modeling of sorption and desorption of a reactive azo dye by pumpkin husk.

The use of effective disposal of redundant pumpkin husk (PH) to remove pollutants is an important issue for environmental protection and utilization of resource. The aim of this study was to remove a potentially toxic reactive azo dye, Reactive Red (RR) 120, by widespread PH as a low-cost adsorbent. Particle size, adsorbent dose, pH, temperature, initial dye concentration, and contact time affected the sorption process. Amine, amide, hydroxyl, and carboxyl groups of PH played significant roles on the sorption process. Rapid sorption occurred within the first 2 min and equilibrium was reached within 60 min. Sorption kinetic was well represented by logistic equation. Generated secondary logistic model can be used to describe effects of initial dye concentration, contact time, and temperature by a single equation with high R (2) value. Monolayer sorption capacity was found as 98.61 mg g(-1). Activation energy, thermodynamic, and desorption studies showed that this process was physical, endothermic, and spontaneous. This study indicated that redundant PH as a low-cost adsorbent had a great potential for the removal of RR 120 as an alternative eco-friendly process.

Fat content and fatty acid compositions of 34 marine water fish species from the Mediterranean Sea.

Fish is the best source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), specifically n-3 fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. The objective of the present study was to determine the fat content and fatty acid compositions of 34 marine water fish species from the Mediterranean Sea. The fatty acid compositions of fish consisted of 30.10-46.88% saturated fatty acids, 11.83-38.17% monounsaturated fatty acids and 20.49-49.31% PUFA. In most species, the following fatty acids were identified: mystiric acid (C14:0, 0.72-8.09%), pentadecanoic acid (15:0, 0.05-2.35%), palmitic acid (C16:0, 15.97-31.04%), palmitoleic acid (C16:1, 1.48-19.61%), heptadecanoic acid (C17:0, 0.31-1.84%), cis-10-heptadecenoic acid (C17:1, 0.17-2.01%), stearic acid (C18:0, 2.79-11.20%), oleic acid (C18:1n9, 2.44-28.97%), linoleic acid (C18:2n-6, 0.06-3.48%), arachidonic acid (C20:4n-6, 0.12-10.72%), cis-5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3, 1.94-10%) and cis-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3, 3.31-31.03%). The proportions of n-3 PUFA ranged from 12.66% for annular seabream to 36.54% for European hake, whereas the proportions of PUFA n-6 were between 1.24% for oceanic puffer and 12.76% for flathead mullet. The results of this study show that these fish species were rich in n-3 PUFA, especially, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid.

First report of Pennella balaenopterae Koren and Danielssen, 1877 (Copepoda: Pennelidae) from Turkey.

A parasitic copepod, Pennella balaenopterae Koren and Danielssen, 1877 (Copepoda: Pennelidae), has been reported from the fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus (Cetacaea: Mysticeti), which was found dead on the Avluk beach (Yumurtalik seaport, Iskenderun Bay, Northeastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey) in 6 May, 2002. This is the first report of Pennella balaenopterae in the Turkish seas.