Paracobitis basharensis Common name. Karun crested loach. Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Paracobitis by: ● dorsal origin at about one eye diameter behind a vertical of pelvic origin / ○ many brown or yellowish, medium-sized, widely spaces and irregularly shaped blotches forming a mottled pattern on predorsal back and flank / ○ flank behind dorsal origin covered by small scales / ○ caudal almost truncate or slightly emarginate / ○ posterior narial opening roundish / ○ axillary pelvic lobe small. Size up to 61 mm SL, likely to grow larger. Distribution. Iran: Headwaters of Bashar in upper Karun drainage. Habitat. Streams with coarse gravel and moderate to fast-flowing water. Biology. No data. Only four individuals have been found so far. Conservation status. DD; due to very poor knowledge of this species. May be extinct, as it has never been found again despite intensive searches. Further reading. Freyhof et al. 2014b (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 544, DOI: 10.1515/9783111677811, http://zenodo.org/record/17881367