Creature with blue spots discovered in mountain stream is new species in Turkey
In the cold waters of northwestern Turkey’s lowland rivers and mountain streams, a unique species of minnow caught the attention of researchers.
With the help of electrofishing equipment, which briefly stuns fish, researcher Esra Bayçelebi collected several specimens and determined they belonged to a new species, according to a study published June 27 in Zoosystematics and Evolution.
Phoxinus kottelati is described has having a distinct horizontal green stripe down its body, orange coloration around its bellow, and, in males only, a blue spot between the eyes and around the mouth, according to the study.
It is further distinguished from related species by having a mix of scaled and unscaled sections of its body and a changing color pattern during its spawning period, the study said.
The new species, measuring about 2.5 inches long on average, is found in a limited number of streams that drain into the Marmara and Black Seas, including Koca, Uludere and Akgüney, Bayçelebi said.
According to the study, species like Phoxinus kottelati that inhabit small freshwater ecosystems “face greater pressure from pollution, habitat degradation, climate change, invasive species pressure,” among other threats, highlighting the need conservation.
“Its survival is directly linked to the conservation of these habitats,” Bayçelebi said.
This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Creature with blue spots discovered in mountain stream is new species in Turkey."
