Barbus xanthos, a new barbel from the Southern Aegean basin (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)

Abstract

Barbus xanthos, a new species, is described from the Esen, Dalaman, Tersakan and Buyuk Menderes rivers in south-western Anatolia. It differs from otherBarbusspecies in the adjacent basins by having 53-60 lateral line scales, a weakly ossified last unbranched dorsal-fin ray (about 33-50%), numerous small irregular-shaped black or dark-brown spots smaller than scales, often forming large, black or dark-brown blotches on back and flank in juveniles and adults, and a straight or slightly convex posterior dorsal-fin margin.B. xanthosdiffers from its most closely related congener,B. pergamonensis, by nine nucleotide substitution sites in the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I barcode region.