Edit Esmaeilius persicus
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Name
Scientific name
Esmaeilius persicus
Described by
Authority Jenkins, Year 1910
Family
Aphaniidae
Common names
Farsi Toothcarp
Photograph credits
All 2 credited
Summary
The Farsi toothcarp, Esmaeilius persicus, is endemic to the Lake Maharlu basin near Shiraz in Fars Province, southern Iran. The hypersaline…
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
60mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Minimum length 120 cm, Minimum depth 30 cm
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 8–32°C, pH 6.5–8
Hardness
10–30dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Not recorded
Social needs
A shoal or group
Community suitability
Not recorded
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
Iran
Writing
Etymology
Esmaeilius: named for Iranian ichthyologist Hamid Reza Esmaeili "for his extensive contribution to the understanding of diversity within this genus", in combin…
Distribution
Endemic to the Lake Maharlu basin close to the city of Shiraz in the Zagros Mountains, Fars Province, southern Iran. The majority of fish currently in the hobb…
Habitat
Maharlu is situated 1460m above sea level and is endorheic i.e. it contains no outflowing rivers or streams and water is lost almost entirely via evaporation. …
Aquarium size
A pair or trio can be kept in a container with base dimensions of 60 cm x 30 cm or so but as a general rule members of this genus do best when maintained as a …
Maintenance
Even for long-term maintenance a simple set-up will suffice. The most important factors are the provision of many broken lines of sight and a suitable medium i…
Water conditions
Temperature: The temperature in the springs of Lake Maharlu have been recorded to range between 8 – 32 °C. Artificial heating is therefore not required in all …
Diet
Aphanius species are basically micropredators feeding on small aquatic crustaceans, worms, insect larvae and other zooplankton although algae and other plant m…
Behaviour and compatibility
Its particular water requirements and aggressive spawning behaviour make A. farsicus a poor choice for the community aquarium. Given its precarious conservatio…
Sexual dimorphism
As with all members of the genus sexual dimorphism is pronounced. Males exhibit a series of silvery vertical bars in the rear portion of the body with sometime…
Reproduction
A. farsicus shows reproductive adaptations to unstable environments and fluctuating population sizes with a relatively short lifespan (<3 years in most case…
Notes
It was renamed A. farsicus in 2011. Gaudant (2011) had moved the Late Miocene fossil Brachylebias persicus Priem 1908 into Aphanius, where the older fossil nam…
References
References
4 on this profile