Phoxinus abanticus, a new species, is described from the Lake Abant basin. It is distinguished from Phoxinus species in Türkiye and adjacent waters by the presence of fewer lateral line scales (60-69, vs. 75-91 in Phoxinus colchicus, 75-90 in Phoxinus strandjae); a deeper caudal peduncle (caudal peduncle depth: 1.8-2.3 times in length, vs. 2.4-2.9 in P. colchicus; 2.5-3.2 in P. strandjae); the absence of scales in the breast of males (vs. present); and ventral body reddish in nuptial colouration pattern for male (vs. brackish). The new species, P. abanticus, is also distinguished from its closest relative, P. strandjae, by a minimum of 3.40% genetic distance in the mtDNA cytochrome b (cyt b) gene.
Keywords: cyt b; freshwater fish; minnow; morphology; taxonomy.
© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Fisheries Society of the British Isles.