Review and re-description of Sabanejewia species in Iran (Teleostei: Cobitidae)

The Iranian species of the genus Sabanejewia are reviewed based on morphological, osteological and molecular characters of the mtDNA COI barcode region. Two species, Sabanejewia aurata and Sabanejewia caspia are recognized and diagnoses are presented for both species. They are distinguishable through body pattern, length of caudal peduncle, snout and post orbital distance, shape of scale and suborbital spine, caudal complex skeleton and also the number of fixed, diagnostic nucleotide substitutions. Here we redescribe both Iranian spined loaches.