Biodiversity of Fishes in Sulaimani Province in Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Abstract

During the current study, random samples of fishes were taken from 26 localities mostly in the Lesser Zab and Sirwan tributaries within Sulaimani Province, Kurdistan Region, Iraq to survey the biodiversity of fish that are naturally found in water bodies of this province. The study was carried out during the period from January to the end of December 2018. A total of 2100 freshwater fishes, belonging to 35 species and eight families were collected. Among these fish species four native species are globally vulnerable. The study also demonstrated that Cyprinion macrostomum was the most abundant and wide spread species in this province, while Leuciscus vorax was scarce.

Keywords

• Freshwater fish, Biodiversity, Native species, Exotic species, Sulaimani province.