Abstract
Gaudant (2011) has shown that Brachylebias Priem, 1908 is a junior synonym of Aphanius Nardo, 1827 and that therefore the new name for the Late Miocene species Brachylebias persicus Priem, 1908 is Aphanius persicus (Priem, 1908). In addition, he stated that a new name has to be assigned to the extant A. persicus (Jenkins, 1910). However, before a new species name can be assigned, it is necessary to demonstrate that the two species, currently named A. persicus, are different. Here we show that slight differences are present in the meristic characters between the fossil A. persicus (Priem, 1908) and the extant A. persicus (Jenkins, 1910), and that clear differences are present with regard to the size and morphology of the scales and also with regard to the shape of the jaw teeth. We demonstrate that the epithets blanfordii and pluristriatus, both introduced for Aphanius species by Jenkins (1910), do not represent alternative names, and we introduce A. farsicus as replacement name for A. persicus (Jenkins, 1910).
References
Coad, B.W. (2000) Distribution of Aphanius species in Iran. Journal American Killifish Association, 33, 183–191.
Coad, B.W. (2011) Freshwater fishes of Iran. http://www.briancoad.com. (accessed 17 July 2011).
Esmaeili, H.R. (2001) Biology of an exotic fish, silver carp, Hypophthalmichthyes molitrix, from Gobindsagar reservoir, India. Punjab University, India, PhD thesis.
Gaudant, J. (2011) Aphanius persicus (Priem, 1908) (Pisces, Teleostei, Cyprinodontidae): une nouvelle combinaison pour Brachylebias persicus Priem, 1908, du Miocène supérieur des environs de Tabriz (Iran). Geodiversitas, 33, 347–356.
Hrbek, T. & Meyer, A. (2003) Closing of the Tethys Sea and the phylogeny of Eurasian killifishes (Cyprinodontiformes: Cyprinodontidae). Journal Evolutionary Biology, 16, 17–36.
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (1999) International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature, London, xxix + 306 pp.
Jenkins, J.T. (1910) Notes on fish from India and Persia, with descriptions of new species. 1. On a collection of fishes made by W. T. Blanford in 1872 in Persia and Baluchistan. Records of the Indian Museum, 5, 123–128.
Priem, F. (1908) Poissons fossiles de Perse (Mission de Morgan). In: Morgan, J. de (Ed.). Délégation scientifique en Perse. Annales d’Histoire naturelle, 1, Paris, pp. 1–25.
Reichenbacher, B. & Kowalke, T. (2009) Neogene and present-day zoogeography of killifishes (Aphanius and Aphanolebias) in the Mediterranean and Paratethys areas. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 281, 43–56.
Reichenbacher, B., Alimohammadian, H., Sabouri, J., Haghfarshi, E., Faridi, M., Abbasi, S., Matzke-Karasz, R., Fellin, M.G., Carnevale, G., Schiller, W., Vasilyan D. & Scharrer, S. (2011) Late Miocene stratigraphy, palaeoecology and palaeogeography of the Tabriz Basin (NW Iran, Eastern Paratethys). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 311, 1–18.
Vasilyan, D., Reichenbacher, B. & Carnevale G. (2009) A new fossil Aphanius species from the Upper Miocene of Armenia (Eastern Paratethys). Paläontologische Zeitschrift, 83, 511–519.
Villwock, W. (1999) Biogeography of the Cyprinodontiform fishes (Teleostei: Cyprinodontidae) of the Mediterranean region. In: Planelles-Gomis, M. (Ed.). Peces Ciprinodóntidos Ibéricos Fartet y Samaruc Monografía. Generalitat Valenciana, València, pp. 13–31.
Wildekamp, R.H. (1993) A world of killies. Atlas of the Oviparous Cyprinodontiform fishes of the World, Vol. 1, American Killifish Association, Mishawaka, 311 pp.