The main entry points are the Introduction, Keys, Species Accounts, Checklists, Glossaries, Bibliography and Links. The Illustrations file provides a rapid means of accessing line drawings of fish, the Photographs file accesses fish photographs, the Habitats file accesses habitat photographs and the Maps file accesses spot distribution maps.

WWW www.briancoad.com

The Contents of the Freshwater Fishes of Iran website are also given below in three formats. Only links in blue are currently posted as this website was started in 2002 and will take several years to develop. Some sections are incomplete but have been posted as is. They will be updated and queries resolved as time permits. 

Apart from files not yet complete (in particular Keys and certain Species Accounts), distribution maps, some figures and habitat photographs are the main items to be added. A question mark may appear in the text appended to items that need to be checked by me. Numerous queries have led me to post incomplete material.

This work has been carried out over a period of over 30 years from my first arrival in Iran in January 1976. In that year, 7 articles were published strictly on Iranian fishes. In 2006, over 160 articles on Iranian fishes appeared, along with hundreds of relevant works from neighbouring countries, works on the aquatic environment in Iran and works on taxonomy and systematics relevant to Iran. The study of fishes is now a very active field within Iran and the Middle East. Accordingly, 2006 is the last year that this work was updated although some systematic and taxonomic studies may still be incorporated.

The first format is alphabetical by file name and provides a rapid means of locating items. Names in bold are the major entry points (folders; also listed above) to this web site, each leading to numerous contained files. Within the Species Accounts the content is by family except for speciose families where each genus (italicised) has a separate file. Thus some genera have a separate file entry here while other genera are only found through the family file (but see the third format for a list of all families and genera). Some families contain both resident freshwater species and others that are primarily marine but do enter fresh waters occasionally - these latter are contained in a separate file, called Marine List. Caspian Sea fishes are here treated as freshwater species.

The second format is laid out as in a book, with fish families for example, arranged in systematic order. Genera are not listed separately. Only the major folders have links. Freshwater Fishes of Iran can be downloaded as four books (see below) but note it is comprised of the various folders and files and lags behind them in content. Computer connections to the internet have speeded up since this work was first put together and files once separate can now be consolidated and still be available to most people.

The third format is a list of all families and all genera.  While some genera in speciose families have a separate file as noted above, others are contained in the family file and the links access through it.  The first list is of freshwater families, the second of marine species occasionally entering rivers of southern Iran that are not treated in full here but are summarised in the Marine List.. The freshwater Species Accounts containing the families, genera and species comprise the bulk of the text of this web site. A full systematic arrangement of families, genera and species with a higher classification is given in the Checklists.  

Alphabetical Contents 

Marine species entering fresh water from the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman can be accessed through the Marine List. See Families and Genera below for a list of these marine taxa.

Abramis    Acanthalburnus    Acanthobrama    Acipenser    Acipenseridae    Acanthopagrus    Acknowledgements    Adrianichthyidae    Alburnoides    Alburnus    Alosa   Anatirostrum   Anguillidae    Aspidoparia    Aspiolucius    Aspius    Atherinidae    Bagridae    Balitoridae    Barbus    Barilius    Benthophiloides    Benthophilus    Bibliography    Blicca    Boleophthalmus    Capoeta    Capoetobrama    Carassius    Carcharhinidae    Caspiosoma    Caviar    Centrarchidae    Chalcalburnus    Chanidae    Channidae     Chasar    Checklists    Chondrostoma    Cichlidae    Climate    Clupeidae    Clupeonella    Cobitis    Cobitidae    Collecting Fishes    Contents    Crossocheilus    Ctenopharyngodon    Cyprinidae    Cyprinion    Cyprinodontidae     Cyprinus    Drainage Basins    Engraulidae    Environmental Change    Esocidae    Farsi Names Checklist    Fish Structure    Fisheries    Gadidae    Garra    Gasterosteidae    Geographical Glossary    Geography    Glossaries    Glossogobius    Gobiidae    Gobio    Habitats    Hemiculter    Hemigrammocapoeta    Heteropneustidae    History of Research    Huso    Hypophthalmichthys    Hyrcanogobius    Ichthyological Glossary    Ictaluridae    Introduction    Iranocypris    Key to Families     Keys to Genera and Species    Keys    Keys to Regional Ichthyofaunas   Knipowitschia    Labeo    Leucaspius    Leuciscus    Links    Liza    Marine List    Mastacembelidae    Materials and Methods    Mesogobius    Misgurnus    Mugil    Mugilidae    Mullidae    Mylopharyngodon    Neogobius    Parabramis    Pelecus    Percichthyidae    Percidae    Periophthalmus    Petroleuciscus    Petromyzontidae    Pimephales    Pleuronectidae    Poeciliidae    Preserving Fishes   Proterorhinus    Pseudogobio    Pseudorasbora    Pseudoscaphirhynchus    Purpose    Quotes    Rhinogobius    Rhodeus    Rutilus    Sabanejewia    Salmonidae    Scardinius    Schizocypris    Schizopygopsis    Schizothorax    Scientific Names Checklist    Scientific Names of Fishes    Scophthalmidae    Siluridae    Sisoridae    Sparidae    Species Accounts    Syngnathidae    Tenualosa    Threatened Species Checklist    Tinca    Types Checklist    Vimba   

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Book Contents

Four files access the website in book form as follows:- 

Book I = Introduction to Chanidae

Book II = Cyprinidae

Book III = Cobitidae to Marine Species

Book IV = Checklists to Bibliography

The layout of the book is as follows:-

A. Introduction  (1. Acknowledgements   2. Contents  3. Purpose   4. Materials and Methods   5. History of Research   6. Fisheries   7. Environment   [a. Geography   b. Climate   c. Habitats   d. Environmental Change   e. Drainage Basins]   8. Scientific Names   9. Fish Structure   10. Collecting Fishes   11. Preserving Fishes   12. Quotes)   

B.  Keys   (1. Key to Families   2. Keys to Genera and Species   3. Keys to Regional Ichthyofaunas)   

C. Species Accounts (1. Petromyzontidae  Family 2. Carcharhinidae  Family 3. Acipenseridae  Family 4. Anguillidae  Family 5. Engraulidae  Family 6. Clupeidae   Family 7. Chanidae  Family 8. Cyprinidae  Family 9. Cobitidae  Family 10. Balitoridae  Family 11. Bagridae  Family 12. Siluridae   Family 13. Sisoridae  Family 14. Heteropneustidae  Family 15. Esocidae  Family 16. Salmonidae  Family 17. Gadidae  Family 18. Mugilidae   Family 19. Atherinidae  Family 20. Adrianichthyidae  Family 21. Poeciliidae  Family 22. Cyprinodontidae  Family 23. Gasterosteidae  Family 24. Syngnathidae   Family 25. Mastacembelidae  Family 26. Percichthyidae  Family 27. Centrarchidae  Family 28. Percidae   Family 29. Sparidae  Family 30. Mullidae  Family 31. Cichlidae  Family 32. Gobiidae  Family 33. Channidae  Family 34. Scophthalmidae   Family 35. Pleuronectidae)

D. Marine Species

E. Checklists  (1. Farsi Names   2. Scientific Names   3. Threatened Species   4. Types)   

F. Glossaries (1. Geographical   2. Ichthyological)  

G. Bibliography (A-Z).

H. Links

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Families and Genera

Freshwater:-

Abramis    Acanthalburnus    Acanthobrama    Acipenseridae    Acanthopagrus    Acipenser    Acipenseridae    Adrianichthyidae    Alburnoides    Alburnus    Alosa    Ameiurus    Anatirostrum    Anguilla    Anguillidae    Aphanius    Aspidoparia    Aspiolucius    Aspius    Atherina    Atherinidae    Bagridae    Balitoridae    Barbatula    Barbus    Barilius    Benthophiloides    Benthophilus    Blicca    Boleophthalmus    Capoeta    Capoetobrama    Carassius    Carcharhinidae    Carcharhinus    Caspiomyzon    Caspiosoma    Centrarchidae    Chalcalburnus    Chanidae    Channa    Channidae    Chanos    Chasar    Chondrostoma    Cichlidae    Clupeidae    Clupeonella    Cobitis    Cobitidae    Coregonus    Crossocheilus    Ctenopharyngodon    Cyprinidae    Cyprinion    Cyprinodontidae    Cyprinus    Engraulis    Engraulidae    Esocidae    Esox    Gadidae    Gambusia    Garra    Gasterosteidae    Gasterosteus    Glossogobius    Glyptothorax    Gobiidae    Gobio    Hemiculter    Hemigrammocapoeta    Heteropneustes    Heteropneustidae    Huso    Hypophthalmichthys    Hyrcanogobius    Ictaluridae    Ilamnemacheilus    ranocichla    Iranocypris    Knipowitschia    Labeo    Lepomis    Leucaspius    Liza    Lota    Mastacembelidae    Mastacembelus    Mesogobius    Micropterus    Misgurnus    Morone    Mugil    Mugilidae    Mullidae    Mullus    Mylopharyngodon    Mystus    Neogobius    Oncorhynchus    Oreochromis    Oryzias    Parabramis    Paracobitis    Pelecus    Perca    Percichthyidae    Percidae    Periophthalmus    Petroleuciscus    Petromyzontidae    Pimephales    Platichthys    Pleuronectidae    Poeciliidae    Proterorhinus    Psetta    Pseudogobio    Pseudorasbora    Pseudoscaphirhynchus    Pungitius    Rhinogobius    Rhodeus    Rutilus    Sabanejewia    Salmo    Salmonidae    Salvelinus    Sander    Scardinius    Schistura    Schizocypris    Schizopygopsis    Schizothorax    Scophthalmidae    Seminemacheilus    Siluridae    Silurus    Sisoridae    Sparidae    Squalius    Stenodus    Syngnathidae    Syngnathus    Tenualosa    Tilapia    Tinca    Triplophysa    Turcinonemacheilus    Vimba   

Marine:-

As marine species are simply records of occurrence in lower reaches of rivers draining to the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, all families and genera below are summarised in one file, Marine List. The species, genera and families in this file are listed below.

Acanthopagus   Acentrogobius   Alepes    Apogon   Apogonidae   Argyrosomus   Ariidae   Arius    Bathygobius   Belonidae   Carangidae   Carcharhinus   Caranx   Carcharhinidae   Chirocentrus    Chirocentridae   Clupeidae   Cynoglossidae   Cynoglossus   Drepane   Eleutheronema   Engraulidae   Ephippididae   Epinephelus   Euryglossa   Gobiidae   Haemulidae   Hemiramphidae   Hemiramphus   Hilsa    Hyporhamphus   Ilisha    Johnieops   Johnius   Leiognathidae   Leiognathus   Liza   Mugilidae   Nematalosa   Otolithes   Pampus   Platycephalidae   Platycephalus   Plotosidae   Plotosus   Polynemidae   Pomadasys   Rhynchorhamphus    Scartelaos   Scatophagidae   Scatophagus   Sciaenidae   Serranidae   Siganidae    Siganus   Sillaginidae   Sillago    Solea   Soleidae   Sparidae   Stromateidae   Strongylura   Terapon   Terapontidae   Thryssa  

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© Brian W. Coad ( www.briancoad.com)