Asia · Fish by region
Fish of West & Central Asia
The Middle East, the Caucasus and the Aral–Caspian basins of Central Asia.
310 species across 8 families
South-west and Central Asia: the Tigris–Euphrates and the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula, the Iranian plateau, the Caucasus, and the Aral–Caspian drainages of the Central-Asian republics and Afghanistan. A relict fauna of killifish (Aphanius), cyprinids and loaches.
310 of 310 species
Cichlids · 10
- Astatotilapia flaviijosephi
- Coptodon zillii · Banded tilapia
- Iranocichla hormuzensis · Hormuz cichlid
- Iranocichla persa
- Oreochromis aureus
- Oreochromis niloticus · Nile mouthbreeder
- Oreochromis niloticus x Oreochromis aureus
- Sarotherodon galilaeus
- Tristramella sacra · Long jaw tristramella
- Tristramella simonis · Short jaw tristramella
Barbs · 72
- Arabibarbus arabicus · Arabian shabout
- Arabibarbus grypus · Shabout
- Arabibarbus hadhrami
- Barbus bergi · Bulgarian barbel
- Barbus ciscaucasicus · Terek barbel
- Barbus cyclolepis · round-scaled barbel
- Barbus cyri · Kura barbel
- Barbus escherichii · Ankara barbel
- Barbus karunensis · Karun barbel
- Barbus lacerta · Kura barbel
- Barbus lorteti
- Barbus miliaris
- Barbus niluferensis · Simav barbel
- Barbus oligolepis · Marmara barbel
- Barbus pergamonensis · Anatolian Barbel
- Barbus tauricus · Crimean barbel
- Capoeta aculeata · Large scale scraper
- Capoeta alborzensis · Alborz scraper
- Capoeta antalyensis · Antalya barb
- Capoeta aydinensis
- Capoeta banarescui · Banarescu's barb
- Capoeta bergamae · Bergama barb
- Capoeta buhsei · Namak scraper
- Capoeta caelestis · Taurus scraper
- Capoeta capoeta · Caucasian scraper
- Capoeta coadi
- Capoeta damascina · Mesopotamian barb
- Capoeta ekmekciae · Grusinian scraper
- Capoeta ferdowsii
- Capoeta fusca
- Capoeta gracilis
- Capoeta heratensis · Herat scraper
- Capoeta kaput
- Capoeta macrolepis · Kor scraper
- Capoeta oguzelii
- Capoeta pestai · Eğirdir barb
- Capoeta pyragyi
- Capoeta razii
- Capoeta saadii
- Capoeta sevangi · Sevan khramulya
- Capoeta shajariani
- Capoeta sieboldii · Colchic khramulya
- Capoeta tinca · Anatolian khramulya
- Capoeta umbla · Tigris scraper
- Carasobarbus apoensis · Arabian himri
- Carasobarbus canis · Jordan himri
- Carasobarbus chantrei · Antakya barbel
- Carasobarbus doadrioi
- Carasobarbus exulatus · Hadramaut himri
- Carasobarbus hajhosseini
- Carasobarbus kosswigi · Kosswig's barb
- Carasobarbus luteus · Yellow barbel
- Carasobarbus saadatii
- Carasobarbus sublimus
- Garra barreimiae
- Luciobarbus barbulus
- Luciobarbus brachycephalus · Aral barbel
- Luciobarbus capito · Bulatmai barbel
- Luciobarbus caspius · Caspian barbel
- Luciobarbus esocinus · Pike barb
- Luciobarbus kersin · Kersin barbel
- Luciobarbus longiceps · Jordan barbel
- Luciobarbus mursa
- Luciobarbus pectoralis · Heckel's Orontes barbel
- Luciobarbus subquincunciatus · Mesopotamian barbel
- Luciobarbus xanthopterus · Yellowfin barbel
- Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi · Sharpey's barb
- Paracapoeta trutta
- Pethia conchonius · Rosy barb
- Puntius sophore · Pool barb
- Systomus sarana · Olive barb
- Tor putitora · Putitor mahseer
Catfish · 3
- Ompok pabda · Pabda catfish
- Silurus glanis · Wels catfish
- Sperata seenghala · Giant river catfish
Danios & Rasboras · 1
- Esomus danrica · Flying barb
Eels · 1
- Mastacembelus mastacembelus · Mesopotamian spiny eel
Gobies & Gudgeons · 6
- Bathygobius fuscus · Dusky frillgoby
- Boleophthalmus boddarti · Boddart's goggle-eyed goby
- Boleophthalmus dussumieri · Indian mudskipper
- Glossogobius giuris · Tank goby
- Periophthalmus waltoni · Walton's mudskipper
- Pseudogobius youtabae
Killifish · 29
- Anatolichthys anatoliae · Anatolian killifish
- Anatolichthys chantrei
- Anatolichthys danfordii · Danford's killifish
- Anatolichthys iconii · Konya toothcarp
- Anatolichthys maeandricus · Maeander toothcarp
- Anatolichthys splendens · Gölçük toothcarp
- Anatolichthys sureyanus · Burdur killifish
- Anatolichthys transgrediens · Acı Göl toothcarp
- Aphaniops dispar · Arabian killifish
- Aphaniops furcatus
- Aphaniops ginaonis
- Aphaniops kruppi
- Aphaniops richardsoni · Dead Sea killifish
- Aphaniops stoliczkanus · Arabian killifish
- Aphanius arakensis
- Aphanius farsicus · Persian killifish
- Aphanius fasciatus · Mediterranean toothcarp
- Aphanius hormuzensis
- Aphanius isfahanensis
- Aphanius marassantensis
- Aphanius mesopotamicus · Mesopotamian killifish
- Aphanius sirhani · Sirhan killifish
- Aphanius vladykovi
- Esmaeilius pluristriatus
- Esmaeilius sophiae · Sophiae killifish
- Kosswigichthys asquamatus
- Paraphanius mento · Persian toothcarp
- Paraphanius mentoides
- Paraphanius similis
Loaches · 188
- Barbatula bergamensis
- Barbatula markakulensis
- Cobitis afifeae
- Cobitis aliyeae
- Cobitis amphilekta · Azerbaijani spined loach
- Cobitis anabelae
- Cobitis avicennae
- Cobitis battalgilae
- Cobitis battalgili
- Cobitis bilseli · Beyşehir spined loach
- Cobitis damlae · Dalaman spined loach
- Cobitis derzhavini
- Cobitis dorademiri
- Cobitis elazigensis · Tigris spined loach
- Cobitis elongata · Balkan loach
- Cobitis emrei
- Cobitis erkakanae
- Cobitis evreni · Ceyhan spined loach
- Cobitis fahireae · Küçük Menderes spined loach
- Cobitis faridpaki
- Cobitis indus
- Cobitis joergbohleni
- Cobitis kellei · Göksu spined loach
- Cobitis keyvani
- Cobitis levantina · Orontes spined loach
- Cobitis linea
- Cobitis melanoleuca · Siberian spined loach
- Cobitis osurgeticus
- Cobitis phrygica · Phrygian spined loach
- Cobitis pirii
- Cobitis pontica · Pontic spined loach
- Cobitis puncticulata · Spotted spined loach
- Cobitis saniae
- Cobitis satunini
- Cobitis simplicispina · Sakarya spined loach
- Cobitis sipahilerae
- Cobitis splendens · Splendid spined loach
- Cobitis strumicae · Struma spined loach
- Cobitis taenia · Spined loach
- Cobitis troasensis
- Cobitis turcica · Turkish spined loach
- Dzihunia amudarjensis · Bukhara stone loach
- Dzihunia turdakovi
- Eidinemacheilus proudlovei
- Eidinemacheilus smithi · Zagros blind loach
- Iskandaria kuschakewitschi · Kuschakewitsch loach
- Iskandaria pardalis · Tajik loach
- Labiatophysa herzensteini
- Labiatophysa labiata
- Misgurnus nikolskyi
- Nemacheilus corica · Corica loach
- Nemacheilus longipinnis
- Nemacheilus terekensis
- Nun galilaeus · Galilean stone loach
- Oxynoemacheilus amanos
- Oxynoemacheilus anatolicus · Burdur loach
- Oxynoemacheilus angorae · Angora loach
- Oxynoemacheilus araxensis · Aras loach
- Oxynoemacheilus argyrogramma · Two Spot Loach
- Oxynoemacheilus arsaniasus
- Oxynoemacheilus atili · Lake Beyşehir loach
- Oxynoemacheilus axylos
- Oxynoemacheilus banarescui · Paphlagonian sportive loach
- Oxynoemacheilus bergi
- Oxynoemacheilus bergianus
- Oxynoemacheilus brandtii · Kura loach
- Oxynoemacheilus bureschi · Bulgarian stone loach
- Oxynoemacheilus cemali
- Oxynoemacheilus ceyhanensis · Elbistan loach
- Oxynoemacheilus chomanicus
- Oxynoemacheilus ciceki
- Oxynoemacheilus cilicicus
- Oxynoemacheilus cyri · Göle loach
- Oxynoemacheilus eliasi
- Oxynoemacheilus elsae
- Oxynoemacheilus ercisianus · Van loach
- Oxynoemacheilus eregliensis
- Oxynoemacheilus euphraticus
- Oxynoemacheilus evreni
- Oxynoemacheilus fatsaensis
- Oxynoemacheilus frenatus · Banded Tigris loach
- Oxynoemacheilus germencicus · Carian loach
- Oxynoemacheilus gyndes
- Oxynoemacheilus hamwii · Orontes sportive loach
- Oxynoemacheilus hanae
- Oxynoemacheilus hazarensis
- Oxynoemacheilus insignis · Syrian loach
- Oxynoemacheilus isauricus
- Oxynoemacheilus karunensis
- Oxynoemacheilus kaynaki · Melid loach
- Oxynoemacheilus kentritensis
- Oxynoemacheilus kiabii
- Oxynoemacheilus kurdistanicus
- Oxynoemacheilus leontinae · Lebanese loach
- Oxynoemacheilus longipinnis
- Oxynoemacheilus marunensis
- Oxynoemacheilus mediterraneus · Pamphylian loach
- Oxynoemacheilus merga · Krynicki's loach
- Oxynoemacheilus mesudae · Işıklı loach
- Oxynoemacheilus muefiti
- Oxynoemacheilus namiri · Levantine loach
- Oxynoemacheilus nasreddini
- Oxynoemacheilus oxianus · Amu-Darya stone loach
- Oxynoemacheilus panthera
- Oxynoemacheilus parvinae
- Oxynoemacheilus paucilepis · Mancilik dwarf loach
- Oxynoemacheilus persa · Persian stone loach
- Oxynoemacheilus phasicus
- Oxynoemacheilus samanticus
- Oxynoemacheilus sarus
- Oxynoemacheilus seyhanensis · Samanti loach
- Oxynoemacheilus seyhanicola
- Oxynoemacheilus shehabi
- Oxynoemacheilus simavicus
- Oxynoemacheilus theophilii
- Oxynoemacheilus tigris · Tigris loach
- Oxynoemacheilus tongiorgii
- Oxynoemacheilus veyselorum
- Oxynoemacheilus zagrosensis
- Oxynoemacheilus zarzianus
- Paracobitis abrishamchiani
- Paracobitis atrakensis · Atrak crested loach
- Paracobitis basharensis
- Paracobitis ghazniensis
- Paracobitis hircanica · Hyrcanian crested loach
- Paracobitis longicauda · Eastern crested loach
- Paracobitis malapterura
- Paracobitis molavii
- Paracobitis persa
- Paracobitis rhadinaea · Eastern crested loach
- Paracobitis salihae
- Paracobitis starostini · Starostin's blind loach
- Paracobitis vignai
- Paracobitis zabgawraensis
- Paraschistura abdolii
- Paraschistura alepidota
- Paraschistura alta
- Paraschistura aredvii · Anahita Loach
- Paraschistura bampurensis · Bampur loach
- Paraschistura cristata · Turkmenian crested loach
- Paraschistura delvarii
- Paraschistura hormuzensis
- Paraschistura ilamensis
- Paraschistura kermanensis
- Paraschistura kessleri · Kessler's loach
- Paraschistura lindbergi
- Paraschistura makranensis
- Paraschistura naumanni
- Paraschistura nielseni
- Paraschistura pasatigris
- Paraschistura susiani
- Paraschistura turcmenica
- Sabanejewia aurata · Golden spined loach
- Sabanejewia caspia · Caspian spined loach
- Sabanejewia caucasica · Ciscaucasian spined loach
- Sasanidus kermanshahensis
- Schistura chrysicristinae · Batman loach
- Seminemacheilus ahmeti
- Seminemacheilus attalicus
- Seminemacheilus dursunavsari
- Seminemacheilus ekmekciae
- Seminemacheilus ispartensis · Southern pond loach
- Seminemacheilus lendlii · Anatolian loach
- Seminemacheilus tubae
- Triplophysa akhtari · Helmand loach
- Triplophysa brahui
- Triplophysa coniptera
- Triplophysa daryoae
- Triplophysa dorsalis · Gray loach
- Triplophysa farwelli
- Triplophysa ferganaensis · Fergana stone loach
- Triplophysa griffithii
- Triplophysa kafirnigani
- Triplophysa kokshaalensis
- Triplophysa kullmanni
- Triplophysa kungessana
- Triplophysa lacusnigri · Karakul stone loach
- Triplophysa paradoxa · Talas stone loach
- Triplophysa sewerzowi · Severtsov's loach
- Triplophysa stolickai · Tibetan stone loach
- Triplophysa strauchii · Spotted thicklip loach
- Triplophysa tenuis
- Triplophysa ulacholica · Issyk-kul naked loach
- Turcinoemacheilus bahaii
- Turcinoemacheilus hafezi
- Turcinoemacheilus kosswigi · Zagros dwarf loach
- Turcinoemacheilus minimus
- Turcinoemacheilus saadii
A fish appears here when its recorded range includes West & Central Asia; wide-ranging species also appear under other regions. Prefer to browse by the water itself? Explore the waters →
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