Iran – Strait of Hormoz region, September 2009

Heiko’s most recent field trip was to collect the monotypic and most eastern found Cichlidae in south-western Iran restricted to a few locations around the Strait of Hormoz. The area is drying up and this unique species is threatened by extinction as it is only found there…

Including video

_{^{In a valley at 340 m above Sea level, flows a complete salty river surrounded by amazing mountains…}}

^{_{…the slow flowing crystal clear river is edged by salty crusts and drying up at an incredible speed…}}

^{_{…one can see how shallow the water level is where the Iranocichla hormuzensis Coad, 1982, was collected in this extreme dry and hot region. The water temperature was 37.5°C, amazingly hot. Here Deghani is helping Heiko}}

^{_{Saeed is holding the plastic sac while Heiko is collecting the fishes, Iranocichla and Aphanius species}}

^{_{Iranocichla hormuzensis, adult male (with a slight damage on its head from the net)}}

^{_{Head detail of this beautiful mouth-brooder…}}

^{_{…its pelvic fin design…}}

^{_{…the rows of teeth of Iranocichla…}}

^{_{…and a detail of its beautiful pattern colour}}

^{_{Only in a very few spots this river had a depth of more than 15 cm, like here, near this large rock, it was about 40 cm deep}}

^{_{The only other fish species living in this salty river-habitat of Iranocichla hormuzensis is Aphanius species (which has some similarity with Aphanius dispar}}

^{_{After a long and heavy walk Behnam had for us a water melon to refresh from the 47.5°C in the shade (over 50°C in the sun…)}}

^{_{Heiko Bleher collecting Iranocichla hormuzensis in Iran}}

_{With Behnam, Saeed and Deghani, Heiko Bleher collected the beautiful Iranocichla hormuzenis in the extreme south-western, very hot region, of Iran begin of September, 2009. This is the most eastern found Cichlidae on Earth.}

Here one can see to two nice videos of the spawning of Iranocichla hormuzensis

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