Hidden treasure of biodiversity in Afghanistan: Ichthyofauna

Abstract

We have been preparing, via deskwork, an updated checklist of Afghan fish species. Therefore, except for Coad (1981), all studies, including our updated checklist study, are desk-based studies. Based on our literature review, according to tentative figures, a total of 123 fish species live in six river basins in Afghanistan. The confirmed ichthyofauna of Afghanistan comprises 123 species belonging to 12 orders, 23 families, and 70 genera (Kelzang et al., 2021; Çiçek et al., 2023; Majidi & Mansoor, 2023). Among these, 23 species (18.7%) are alien and 7 species (5.7%) are considered endemic to Afghanistan, excluding the 48 species from the checklist. In particular, it should be clarified whether species known to be distributed in neighboring countries within the same basin are also found in Afghanistan. Some of these species are likely to be present. However, even if there is a connected basin, it is a fact that it will not be possible to find some species in high-altitude rivers originating from Afghanistan due to the bioecological differences of fish. This literature review provides a discussion of the diversity of known species and some controversial issues that need to be clarified.