Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi (Günther, 1874)

Freyhof, Jörg, Kaya, Cüneyt & Ali, Atheer, 2021, A Critical Checklist of the Inland Fishes Native to the Euphrates and Tigris Drainages, Aquatic Ecology Series, Switzerland: Springer Nature, pp. 815-854 : 824

Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi (Günther, 1874)

Distribution in the area. Not endemic. The southern part of Euphrates and Tigris drainages in Syria, Iraq, and Iran. In Iran in Hawe Al Azim and Shadegan marshes and lower parts of rivers Zohreh, Karkheh and Karun. In Syria in Asad reservoir. In Iraq widespread in the Shatt Al-Arab and the lower part of the Euphrates, Tigris, Diyala including the Al-Hammar marshes and Huwazah marsh, Lakes Saniyah, Habbaniyah, Tharthar and Razzazah, and reservoirs Himreeen and Al Qadisiyah.

Remarks. This is a major commercial species and seems to be overfished in large if not all parts of its range. However, data on population trends are very rare and based on fisheries statistics. Its decline seems to correlate with the destruction of the marshes and wetlands in the lower catchment area as well as the invasion of the alien herbivorous Coptodon zillii ( Cichlidae ) and Carasssius auratus and may be other alien species.