Descriptive osteology of Garra rossica (Nikolskii, 1900)

Abstract

To describe the osteological structure of the Garra rossica, ten specimens were collected from the Mashkid Basin, Iran. After fixation into 10% buffered formalin, they were cleared and stained for osteological examination. Then its detailed osteological description was provided and compared with the available congeners in the genus Garra and other cyprinids. Based on the results, some differences have been found in different bones, including neurocranium, upper and lower jaws, pectoral and pelvic girdles, dorsal, anal and caudal fins skeleton, and circumorbital series.