Aphanius sirhani

Aphanius sirhani, Photo: Michael Lahanas

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Sectio: Ctenosquamata
Subsectio: Acanthomorphata
Divisio/Superordo: Acanthopterygii
Subdivisio: Percomorphaceae
Series: Ovalentaria
Superordo: Atherinomorphae
Ordo: Cyprinodontiformes
Subordo: Cyprinodontoidei

Familia: Cyprinodontidae
Subfamilia: Cyprinodontinae
Genus: Aphanius
Species: Aphanius sirhani
Name

Aphanius sirhani (Villwock, Scholl & Krupp, 1983)

Holotype: ZMH 6444. Paratypes: NMBE-WT 78-79/83 (2); NMC 83-0135 (2); SMF 14015 (4), 16445 (26); ZMH 6445-46 (5, 16).
Type locality: Azraq oasis, 32°51'N, 36°49'E, Jordan.

Synonymy

Lebias sirhani (Villwock, Scholl & Krupp, 1983)

References

Villwock, W., Scholl, A. & Krupp, F. 1983. Zur Taxonomie, Verbreitung und Speziation des Formenkreises Aphanius dispar (Rüppell, 1828) und Beschreibung von Aphanius sirhani n. sp. (Pisces: Cyprinodontidae). Mitteilungen aus dem Hamburgischen Zoologischen Museum und Institut 80: 251–277. Reference page.

Selected links

Lebias sirhani in Catalog of Fishes, Eschmeyer, W.N., Fricke, R. & van der Laan, R. (eds.) 2022. Catalog of Fishes electronic version, accessed on August 11, 2014.
Aphanius sirhani – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Aphanius sirhani in FishBase,
Froese, R. & Pauly, D. (eds.) 2022. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication, www.fishbase.org, version 08/2021.
IUCN: Aphanius sirhani Villwock, Scholl & Krupp, 1983 (Critically Endangered)

Aphanius sirhani, the Azraq toothcarp, is a species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It is endemic to the Azraq Wetland Reserve in Jordan. This species occurs in shallow water where there is vegetation and stones, or over muddy substrates where it feeds on insect larvae and crustaceans. They breed in the Spring.[2]

In 1983, Aphanius sirhani was described for the first time as a new species of killifish. It was found at Azraq Wetland Reserve in Jordan, the only habitat for this species in the world. Habitat changes and the introduction of other fish species reduced its population until it almost disappeared in 1989 and was thought to be extinct in the mid-1990s. In 2000 a survey showed that there were around 45 adult fish remaining within the Azraq wetland. In 2001 a rescue mission involving captive breeding was initiated to secure the species' future, aiming at reintroducing captive fish into the wild. While the population is stable as of 2014, it is entirely dependent on the wetland, whose water levels are currently artificially maintained to counter illegal extraction of water. Successful reintroduction to the wild will depend on factors including the removal of the alien mango tilapia and the attainment of a naturally stable and sufficient body of water.[1]
References

Freyhof, J.; Harrison, I.J. (2014). "Aphanius sirhani". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T60411A16580970. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T60411A16580970.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Aphanius sirhani" in FishBase. August 2019 version.