Phoxinus abanticus, a new species from the Lake Abant drainage in Türkiye (Teleostei: Leuciscidae).

Phoxinus abanticus, a new species, is described from the Lake Abant basin. It is distinguished from Phoxinus species in Türkiye and adjacent waters by the presence of fewer lateral line scales (60-69, vs. 75-91 in Phoxinus colchicus, 75-90 in Phoxinus strandjae); a deeper caudal peduncle (caudal peduncle depth: 1.8-2.3 times in length, vs. 2.4-2.9 in P. colchicus; 2.5-3.2 in P. strandjae); the absence of scales in the breast of males (vs. present); and ventral body reddish in nuptial colouration pattern for male (vs. brackish). The new species, P. abanticus, is also distinguished from its closest relative, P. strandjae, by a minimum of 3.40% genetic distance in the mtDNA cytochrome b (cyt b) gene.

Oxynoemacheilus isauricus, a new nemacheilid loach from Central Anatolia (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae).

Oxynoemacheilus isauricus, new species, from the Lakes Beysehir and Sugla basins in Central Anatolia is distinguished from all other species of the O. angorae group by having a very slender caudal peduncle (its depth 2.22.6 times in its length). The new species is further distinguished by having a short head (head length 2124% SL), and a midlateral series of irregularly shaped blotches on the flank. Oxynoemacheilus isauricus is also distinguished by a minimum K2P sequence divergence of 7.5% and 8.0% in the mtDNA-COI barcode region from O. eregliensis and O. atili, its closest relatives.

Pseudophoxinus cilicicus, a new spring minnow from southern Anatolia (Teleostei: Leuciscidae).

Pseudophoxinus cilicicus, new species, is described from the Arsuz, Ceyhan and Seyhan river drainages in the Gulf of Iskenderun. It is distinguished from other members of the Pseudophoxinus zeregi species group by having a complete lateral line with 38-45 + 2-3 scales, the lower lip usually slightly projecting beyond the tip of the upper lip, a prominent black stripe along the flank, and no black pigments below the lateral line. Pseudophoxinus cilicicus is distinguished from P. zekayi by a minimum K2P distance of 3.8% based on the mitochondrial DNA barcode region. Pseudophoxinus atropatenus and P. sojuchbulagi are returned to the genus Rutilus.

Alburnus goekhani, a new species of bleak from the Anatolian Black Sea basin (Teleostei: Leuciscidae).

Alburnus goekhani, new species, is described from the Yesilirmak and Kizilirmak River drainages. It belongs to the A. alburnus species group and is distinguished from other species in this group in Anatolia by having 48-56 + 2-3 scales in the lateral-line, 12-15 gill rakers, a distinct dark lateral stripe along the flank on live and preserved specimens and the anal-fin origin situated below the branched dorsal-fin ray 6-8. Alburnus goekhani is also well distinguished from other Alburnus species by its DNA barcode sequence.

Redescription of Alburnus kotschyi Steindachner, 1863, with comments on Alburnus sellal adanensis Battalgazi, 1944 (Teleostei: Leuciscidae).

Alburnus kotschyi is re-described and a neotype is designated. It is found in a small isolated coastal stream at Arsuz at the eastern Mediterranean coast as well as in the Ceyhan and Seyhan River drainages in southern Anatolia. Alburnus adanensis, from the Seyhan River, seems not to have been found again since its first description in 1944 and might be extinct.

Oxynoemacheilus hazarensis, a new species from Lake Hazar in Turkey, with remarks on O. euphraticus (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae).

Oxynoemacheilus hazarensis, new species, from Lake Hazar in the Turkish Tigris drainage, is distinguished from other Oxynoemacheilus in the Tigris drainage by having the combination of a slightly emarginate caudal fin, no suborbital groove in males, an incomplete lateral line, no scales on the back and flank in front of the anus, the maxillary barbel reaching beyond the middle of the eye, an incision in the middle of the upper lip, and the colour pattern on the flank mottled, not interrupted by an unpigmented zone along the lateral line. Oxynoemacheilus euphraticus from the Euphrates and Tigris drainages is a valid species: it is discussed and re-diagnosed against O. argyrogramma.

Phylogenetic relationships of the algae scraping cyprinid genus Capoeta (Teleostei: Cyprinidae).

We reconstructed the matrilineal phylogeny of Asian algae-eating fishes of the genus Capoeta based on complete mitochondrial gene for cytochrome b sequences obtained from 20 species sampled from the majority of the range and 44 species of closely related barbs of the genera Barbus s. str. and Luciobarbus. The results of this study show that Capoeta forms a strongly supported monophyletic subclade nested within the Luciobarbus clade, suggesting that specialized scraping morphology appeared once in the evolutionary history of the genus. We detected three main groups of Capoeta: the Mesopotamian group, which includes three species from the Tigris-Euphrates system and adjacent water bodies, the Anatolian-Iranian group, which has the most diversified structure and encompasses many species distributed throughout Anatolian and Iranian inland waters, and the Aralo-Caspian group, which consists of species distributed in basins of the Caspian and Aral Seas, including many dead-end rivers in Central Asia and Northern Iran. The most probable origination pathway of the genus Capoeta is hypothesized to occur as a result of allopolyploidization. The origin of Capoeta was found around the Langhian-Serravallian boundary according to our molecular clock. The diversification within the genus occurred along Middle Miocene-Late Pliocene periods.

Phylogenetic relationships and biogeographical patterns in Circum-Mediterranean subfamily Leuciscinae (Teleostei, Cyprinidae) inferred from both mitochondrial and nuclear data.

BACKGROUND: Leuciscinae is a subfamily belonging to the Cyprinidae fish family that is widely distributed in Circum-Mediterranean region. Many efforts have been carried out to deciphering the evolutionary history of this group. Thus, different biogeographical scenarios have tried to explain the colonization of Europe and Mediterranean area by cyprinids, such as the "north dispersal" or the "Lago Mare dispersal" models. Most recently, Pleistocene glaciations influenced the distribution of leuciscins, especially in North and Central Europe. Weighing up these biogeographical scenarios, this paper constitutes not only the first attempt at deciphering the mitochondrial and nuclear relationships of Mediterranean leuciscins but also a test of biogeographical hypotheses that could have determined the current distribution of Circum-Mediterranean leuciscins. RESULTS: A total of 4439 characters (mitochondrial + nuclear) from 321 individuals of 176 leuciscine species rendered a well-supported phylogeny, showing fourteen main lineages. Analyses of independent mitochondrial and nuclear markers supported the same main lineages, but basal relationships were not concordant. Moreover, some incongruence was found among independent mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenies. The monophyly of some poorly known genera such as Pseudophoxinus and Petroleuciscus was rejected. Representatives of both genera belong to different evolutionary lineages. Timing of cladogenetic events among the main leuciscine lineages was gained using mitochondrial and all genes data set. CONCLUSIONS: Adaptations to a predatory lifestyle or miniaturization have superimposed the morphology of some species. These species have been separated into different genera, which are not supported by a phylogenetic framework. Such is the case of the genera Pseudophoxinus and Petroleuciscus, which real taxonomy is not well known. The diversification of leuciscine lineages has been determined by intense vicariant events following the paleoclimatological and hydrogeological history of Mediterranean region. We propose different colonization models of Mediterranean region during the early Oligocene. Later vicariance events promoted Leuciscinae diversification during Oligocene and Miocene periods. Our data corroborate the presence of leuciscins in North Africa before the Messinian salinity crisis. Indeed, Messinian period appears as a stage of gradually Leuciscinae diversification. The rise of humidity at the beginning of the Pliocene promoted the colonization and posterior isolation of newly established freshwater populations. Finally, Pleistocene glaciations determined the current European distribution of some leuciscine species.