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Résumé :
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An analysis of fish diversity in the mountain rivers and tributaries of the Araks (Aras) River drainage basin – including the Turkish, Armenian, Iranian, and Azerbaijan sectors – revealed a total of 27 species, representing six families and 16 genera. In the mountain rivers of southeastern Armenia, we identified eight species belonging to four families (Cyprinidae, Leuciscidae, Nemacheilidae, and Salmonidae) and two orders (Cypriniformes and Salmoniformes). The native species Salmo caspius, Barbus cyri, Alburnoides eichwaldii, and Capoeta capoeta are consistently present and dominate the ichthyofauna of all mountain rivers within the Armenian section of the Araks River basin. In addition, the fish community includes non-native species such as Carassius gibelio, Pseudorasbora parva, and Oncorhynchus mykiss. Among these, C. gibelio and P. parva accounted for 14.8% of fish occurrences, while O. mykiss was recorded only rarely. Oxynoemacheilus cf. brandtii was documented for the first time in the Aragilijur and Ayriget rivers, while Oxynoemacheilus bergianus was found in the Vachagan River; both species coexist within the same river basin. Overall, our study indicates a relatively low ichthyofaunal diversity in the small mountain rivers of Armenia when compared to the richer fish assemblages of the main Araks River.
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