Paracobitis atrakensis Common name. Atrak crested loach. Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Paracobitis by: ○ no scales on body, isolated scales on dorsal, adipose crest in few individuals / ○ caudal truncate or very slightly emarginate / ○ coarse mottled brown pattern on flank / ○ posterior narial opening roundish / ○ pelvic origin below vertical of last unbranched or first branched dorsal ray / ○ caudal rays hyaline with an irregular pattern of dark-brown or black spots and elongated blotches often organised in 1–3 wide, irregularly shaped bars / ○ no pelvic axillary lobe or lobe fully attached. Size up to 125 mm SL. Distribution. Iran and Turkmenistan: Atrak drainage in southeast Caspian basin and Bidvaz drainage in Eastern Kavir basin. Habitat. Streams with coarse gravel and moderate to fast-flowing water. Biology. No data. Conservation status. LC; extirpated from Bidvaz. Further reading. Esmaeili et al. 2014d (description).

Published as part of Freyhof, Jörg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, GmbH, Berlin / Boston :De Gruyter on page 543, DOI: 10.1515/9783111677811, http://zenodo.org/record/17881367