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Abstract
The crested loaches of the genus Paracobitis from the Sistan basin (Iran) are reviewed based on morphological and mitochondrial cytb and COI sequences characters to check the status of taxa in phylogenetic trees. Paracobitis rhadinaea (Regan, 1906) and P. vignai Nalbant & Bianco, 1998 were known only based on minor morphological differences (presence or absence of scales, caudal fin shape, colour pattern and fish size). We failed to find any diagnostic molecular and morphological characters between them. Therefore, we regard P. vignai as a junior synonym of P. rhadinaea.
Acknowledgments
We are pleased to thank M. Ghanbarifardi, M. H. Malekzehi and M. Razbanian for helping in the collection of fish, Pier Giorgio Bianco for providing photographs of the type of Paracobitis vignai and Dr. Brian W Coad for his valuable comments and final editing of the ms. Many thanks to Environment Departments of Sistan and Baluchistan and Hormuzgan Provinces for supporting field surveys in Iran.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.