Aphanius maeandricus

Male wild caught Aphanius maeandricus from Dinar/Turkey.

Aphanius maeandricus is often treated as a synonym of A. anatolicus, but molecular data strongly suggest that it represent a valid species. It's easy distinguished from A. anatoliae and A. meridionalis by having a white band in the dorsal (vs. no white band). The white band in A. maeandricus is much narrower compared to A. iconii. The original three pairs of my A. maeandricus came from its type locality, Işıklı spring in Central Anatolia. There, the species is very abundant in the dense vegetation along the spring margins. I also found it in a spring lake in Dinar and there is a second population in the hobby originating from Kaklik on the Büyük Menderes River. This species is easy to breed and I already have it in the third generation. They start spawning with one year and males and females can often already be distinguished in autumn. Juveniles have been given to several enthusiasts.