Alburnoides coadi Mousavi-Sabet, Vatandoust & Doadrio, 2015
Coad's riffle minnow
Alburnoides coadi
photo by Mousavi-Sabet, H.

Family:  Leuciscidae (Minnows), subfamily: Leuciscinae
Max. size:  10.79 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  benthopelagic; freshwater; depth range - 1 m
Distribution:  Asia: Namroud River, Hableroud River drainage, Kavir basin in Iran.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-11; Anal soft rays: 14-17; Vertebrae: 39-41. Alburnoides coadi is distinguished from other congeners in Iran by a combination of the following characters: eye relatively small size, the orbit diameter larger than the snout length and markedly smaller than the interorbital width; caudal fin lobes rounded and fin moderately forked; a variably scaled ventral keel though most commonly scaled along about 2/3 of its length, or a completely scaled ventral keel; deep head with a markedly rounded and stout snout; small mouth which is between terminal and subterminal; a tip of the mouth cleft on a level from the lower margin of the pupil or somewhat below it; the lack of well-marked spots or dark pigmentation in the lateral line canal; 47-52 lateral line scales to posterior margin of hypurals; typically 9 or 10 scale rows between lateral line and dorsal fin origin; usually 5 or 6 scale rows between lateral line and anal fin origin; 2.5-4.2 pharyngeal teeth; commonly 17-19 scales around caudal peduncle; typically 39-41, with a mode of 40, total vertebrae; 13-14 predorsal vertebrae, 19-20 abdominal vertebrae, 19-21 caudal vertebrae; caudal vertebral region equal or slightly longer than an abdominal region (vertebral formulae 19 + 20, 20 + 20 and 20 + 21); usually 8½ branched rays on dorsal fin; commonly 12½-13½ branched rays on anal fin; usually 8 or 9 gill rakers in the outer row on first left arch (Ref. 106248).
Biology:  During the time of the collection of the type specimens, the upstream portion of Namroud River at the type locality had clear water, with medium to fast water flow. The stream had a width of about 3 m and a maximum depth of up to 1 m, with grassy shores, submergent plants. The stream bed consisted of gravel and mud. Found syntopic with Barbus sp., Capoeta aculeata (Valenciennes, 1844), Capoeta buhsei Kessler, 1877, Carassius auratus (Linnaeus, 1758), Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782), Squalius cf. orientalis (Nordmann, 1840), Paracobitis malapterura (Valenciennes, 1846), and Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1792).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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