Cobitis linea (Heckel, 1847)

Cobitis linea View in CoL View Figure

Common name. Shiraz spined loach.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from species of Cobitis in Persian Gulf basin by: ○ two laminae circularis in male / ○ blotches in Z4 between vertical of pectoral origin until caudal– peduncle comma-shaped, densely set, often fused into short stripes or dissociated into a wide band of several rows of blotches / ○ axillary pelvic lobe absent. Size up to 100 mm SL.

Distribution View Figure . Iran: Kor drainage.

Habitat View Figure . Slow-flowing and stagnant waters with muddy or sandy bottoms.

Biology. Spawns June–July.

Conservation status. EN; appears to be declining within its very small range.

Remarks. Occasionally recorded from upper Kol, but this must be incorrect. Superficially similar loaches also occur in Iranian Karun drainage, and it cannot be excluded that these might be identified as C. linea in the future.

Further reading. Bianco & Nalbant 1980 (redescription); Esmaeili et al. 2008 (conservation status); Freyhof et al. 2018c (diagnosis, distribution).