Cobitis avicennae Mousavi-Sabet, Vatandoust, Esmaeili, Geiger & Freyhof 2015

This specie is distinguished from its congeners in the Persian Gulf, Kor and southern Caspian Sea basins by the following set of characters: males with a single lamina circularis on pectoral fin in males (vs. 2 in C. elazigensis, C. linea); individuals larger than 6.5 cm SL with 5-6 rows of dark spots on dorsal and caudal fins in (vs. 3-4 in C. faridpaki); sub-dorsal scales with a small focal zone (vs. large in C. amphilekta, C. taenia); Z4 consists of 12-17 distinct, large, dark-brown blotches (vs. 20-30 in C. faridpaki and vs. small, indistinct blotches in C. kellei); upper caudal-fin base with a small comma-shaped black spot (vs. a large spot in C. keyvani; 2 spots in C. melanoleuca) (Ref. 99625).

At the type locality of this species, the Dehno is a shallow and narrow (up to 5 m wide) stream with diverse structures (pools, riffles, gravel bed, sandy shore, etc.). At the time of collection, the water was clear with swift current and the specimens were found in shallow water (30-50 cm depth) above gravel (Ref. 99625).