A new and eyeless cobitid fish (Pisces, Cypriniformes) from the Zagros Mountains, Iran

The first blind, and colourless, noemacheiline cobitid fish is described and compared with other cave-dwelling species of the subfamily. The new taxon, recently discovered in a natural well connected with subterranean waters in the Zagros Mountains of Iran, coexists with the blind depigmented cyprinid fish Iranocypris typhlops discovered in 1937. Some consideration is given to the generic status of the new species and its relationships to other noemacheilines.