Academics from three universities in Türkiye have added a new species of loach fish to the world literature based on their research on fish diversity.
Associate professor Salim Serkan Güçlü from the Faculty of Fisheries at Isparta Applied Sciences University, along with professor Davut Turan and associate professor Gökhan Kalaycı from Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, and associate professor Sadi Aksu from Eskişehir Osmangazi University, identified a new species of loach fish during fieldwork.
In a written statement, professor Güçlü mentioned that there are approximately 430 species of freshwater fish in Türkiye. Güçlü noted that 50% of freshwater fish species in Türkiye are endemic. He evaluated that considering fish species diversity, the Konya closed basin is the richest with 65% endemism, followed by Burdur with 54%, Büyük Menderes with 42%, Lake Van with 40% and Antalya with 36%.
Güçlü pointed out that when comparing the numerical status of freshwater fish living in Anatolia and Europe, they encounter almost the same number of fish species.
The academics conducted collaborative research on the morphological-molecular revision, distribution areas and conservation statuses of loach fish in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions.
In the study, a fish discovered in the Havran and Karınca streams in Balıkesir, Marmara region of Türkiye was named "Oxynoemacheilus kottelati" in reference to Maurice Kottelat, a Swiss scientist who has made significant contributions to the world fish fauna. The fish was published in the "Zoosystematics and Evolution" journal, supported by the Berlin Natural History Museum.
With this discovery, the number of loach fish species has reached 49, with 37 being reported as endemic species in Türkiye.
