THE FRESHWATER FISHES OF ISRAEL

ABSTRACT

This work summarizes investigations on the freshwater fishes of Israel, performed mainly between 1967 and 1970, during which samples were collected and observations made in 240 localities. The following 24 species were collected: Barbus canis Valenciennes (Jordan drainage); Barbus longiceps Valenciennes (Jordan drainage); Capoeta damascina (Valenciennes) (Jordan drainage and Nahal Kesiv—Coastal drainage); Garra rufa (Heckel) (Jordan drainage); Tylognathus steinitziorum Kosswig (Jordan drainage and N. Kishon—Coastal drainage); Mirogrex terraesanctae (Steinitz) (Lake Kinneret and Huleh); Acanthobrama lissneri Toitonese (Jordan drainage and N. Kishon), Acanthobrama telavivensis Goren, Fishelson and Trewavas (Coastal drainage); Pseudophoxinus kervillei (Pellegerin) (Upper Galilee); Pseudophoxinus zeregi (Heckel) (Central Golan Heights); Noemacheilus angorae jordanicus Banarescu and Nalbant (Jordan drainage); Noemacheilus panthera (Heckel) (Central Golan Heights and northern margins of Upper Galilee); Noemacheilus tigris (Heckel) (Lake Kinneret); Garias lazera Valenciennes (Jordan and Coastal drainages); Aphanius mento (Heckel) (Jordan and Coastal drainages, also in 'Ein Fashkha); Aphanius dispar richardsoni Boulenger (springs around Dead Sea); Blennius fluviatilis Asso (Lake Kinneret); Tilapia galilaea Artedi (Jordan and Coastal drainages); Tilapia nilotica (L.) (N. Yarqon); Tilapia aurea (Steindacher) (Jordan and Coastal drainages, also in 'Ein Fashkha); Tilapia zillii (Gervais) (Jordan and Coastal drainages, also in 'Ein Fashkha), Haplochromis flaviijosephi (Lortet) (Lake Kinneret and Bet She'an Valley), Tristramella sacra (Günther) (Lake Kinneret); T. simonis (Günther) (Lake Kinneret). Detailed taxonomie examinations were performed on the species of the genera Acanthobrama, Mirogrex, Pseudophoxinus, Garra, Noemacheilus, Aphanius and Capoeta. This extends their original descriptions and clarifies their taxonomie status. The species Aphanius mento (Heckel) was divided into two subspecies: A. mento mento and A. mento striptus.