''Paraphanius'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

killifish A killifish is any of various oviparous (egg-laying) cyprinodontiform fish (including families Aplocheilidae, Cyprinodontidae, Fundulidae, Profundulidae and Valenciidae). All together, there are 1,270 species of killifish, the biggest famil ...

es in the family

Aphaniidae Aphaniidae, the Oriental killifishes, are a family of the order Cyprinodontiformes. The 42 extant species of the family inhabit inland waters, rivers and lagoons. The distribution of these species extends from the entire Mediterranean region t ...

, which are native to western Asia (including

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

). Several species in the genus have very limited distribution and may be

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...

Etymology

The generic name is derived from , "near", and ''

Aphanius ''Aphanius'' is a genus of pupfishes. Unlike other members of the family which are from the Americas, ''Aphanius'' species are native to northern Africa, southwestern Asia (as far east as India) and southern Europe. Several species in the genus ...

'', the genus from which they were split in 2020. It is a

sister genus In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

to ''Aphanius'' and ''

Aphaniops ''Aphaniops'' is a genus of killifishes in the family Aphaniidae, which are native to Western Asia (including Asia Minor and Iran), Northeast Africa and east to southwest India. Several species in the genus have very limited distribution and may ...

''.

Species

There are seven valid species: * ''

Paraphanius alexandri ''Paraphanius'' is a genus of killifishes in the family Aphaniidae, which are native to western Asia (including Asia Minor). Several species in the genus have very limited distribution and may be Threatened species, threatened. Etymology The gen ...

'' (Akşiray, 1948) * '' Paraphanius boulengeri'' (Akşiray, 1948) * '' Paraphanius mento'' ( Heckel, 1843) (Pearl-spotted killifish) * '' Paraphanius mentoides'' (Akşiray, 1948) * '' Paraphanius orontis'' (Akşiray, 1948) * '' Paraphanius similis'' (Akşiray, 1948) * '' Paraphanius striptus'' (Goren, 1974)

Etymology

Species

References

Further reading