Angora loach (''Oxynoemacheilus angorae'') is a species of
ray-finned fish
Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...
in the family
Nemacheilidae
The Nemacheilidae, or stone loaches, are a family of cypriniform fishes that inhabit stream environments, mostly in Eurasia, with one genus, ''Afronemacheilus'' found in Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous ...
.
It is found in
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
,
Jordan
Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
,
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
,
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
, and
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. It is found in
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...
and
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
from
Simav
Simav is a town in Kütahya Province in the Aegean region of Turkey. It is the seat of Simav District.[Kızılırmak River
The Kızılırmak (, Turkish language, Turkish for "Red River"), once known as the Halys River () and Alis River, is the longest river flowing entirely within Turkey. It is a source of hydroelectric power and is not used for navigation.
Geogra ...]
drainages and drainages of
Ilgin,
Lake Akşehir
Lake Akşehir () is a tectonic freshwater endorheic lake in Afyonkarahisar and Konya provinces, in the southwestern part of Turkey. It carries the same name as the town of Akşehir south of the lake.[Lake Eber
Lake Eber () is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in Afyon Province, Turkey. The lake used to be connected with nearby Lake Akşehir and was named ''Tessarakonta Martyron'', the Forty Martyr's lake, in premodern times.
Geography
The lake is between ...]
.
It is threatened by water abstraction, pollution and dam construction. The future threats in the southern range are increasing water abstraction and droughts. In the northern range, it is already and will continue to be threatened by massive development of hydropower dams. Although IUCN listed it as Data Deficient in 1996, it now lists the species as Least Concern due to its widespread abundance. The report says it is so abundant that even a 30% decrease would not endanger the species. Nonetheless, the exact population is unknown and is not known to be fished for commercial use.
References
Sources
*
Nemacheilidae
Fish of Turkey
Taxa named by Franz Steindachner
Fish described in 1897
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Nemacheilidae-stub