Caecocypris basimi, the Haditha cavefish, is a species of cyprinid fish endemic to Iraq, only occurring in aquifers near Haditha. It is found in an underground sinkhole directly under a shrine the only way to access which is a well 5m below the shrine.[3] This cavefish is the only member of its genus. The species is classed as Critically endangered, possibly extinct, by the IUCN, as there have been no records since 1983 despite a comprehensive survey in 2012.[1] The primary threat is water extraction, which has lowered the groundwater level.[1] It is placed as one of the top 10 lost freshwater fishes to be found.[4]
| Caecocypris | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Subfamily: | Barbinae |
| Genus: | Caecocypris Banister & Bunni, 1980[2] |
| Species: | C. basimi
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| Binomial name | |
| Caecocypris basimi Banister & Bunni, 1980
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The cavefish Garra widdowsoni is found in the same place and it has also drastically declined, but it is not as rare as Caecocypris basimi.[1][5] The only other known cavefish in Iraq is Eidinemacheilus proudlovei.[6]
The holotype of Caecocypris basimi, collected by Dr. Basim M Al Azzawi in 1977, is deposited at the British Museum of Natural History and other specimens are at the Australian Museum.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Freyhof, J. (2014). "Caecocypris basimi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T3450A19006223. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T3450A19006223.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Barbinae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ "lost fishes". www.rewild.org. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ^ Edmondstone, Michael. "The Search for Lost Fishes". Shoal. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Caecocypris basimi". FishBase. August 2011 version.
- ^ Freyhof, J.; Abdullah, Y.S.; Ararat, K.; Ibrahim, H.; & Geiger, M.F. (2016): Eidinemacheilus proudlovei, a new subterranean loach from Iraqi Kurdistan (Teleostei; Nemacheilidae). Zootaxa, 4173 (3): 225-236.
- ^ Banister, K. E. and M. K. Bunni (1980). "A new blind cyprinid fish from Iraq". Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Zoology. 38 (3): 151–158.
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