First record of Paraschistura alta (Nalbant and Bianco, 1998) from Eastern Iran and providing its COI barcode region sequences (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae)

Paraschistura alta, formerly reported from the eastern part of Sistan basin in Afghanistan, is reported for the first time from the Zahak River in Iranian part of this basin and its morphological characteristics, COI barcode and its phylogenetic relationship within other members of the genus Paraschistura from Iran are provided. All the measured meristic and morphometric characters of seven collected specimens of P. alta (SL= 65.8-112.1mm) from the Zahak River were in the range of its original description. The results of phylogenetic analysis based on the COI barcode region places the Iranian members of the genus Paraschistura into 11 groups, which show between 3.05% and 14.10% K2P sequence divergence. Paraschistura alta from Zahak River corresponds to a distinct clade, sister to P. bampurensis + P. hurmozensis.