Exotic freshwater fishes in the southern Iraq

الملخص EN

Exotic fish species in the southern Iraq were reviewed.

A total of 12 species have been reported belong to five families : Cichlidae, Cyprinidae, Heteropneustidae, Pangasiidae and Poeciliidae.

Exotic species of fishes were introduced to Iraq for improving local fishery potential and for broadening species diversity in aquaculture programmes [Ctenopharyngodon idella (Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1844), Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1844) and Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (Richardson, 1844)] or for controlling of unwanted organisms [Gambusia holbrooki Girard, 1859 and Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch, 1794)], or introduced accidentally, also exotic fish introduced in the neighbouring countries may find their way to inland water of Iraq [Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782), Hemiculter leucisculus (Basilewsky, 1855), Poecilia latipinna (Lesueur, 1821), Oreochromis aureus (Steindacher, 1864) and Tilapia zillii (Gervais, 1848)], or for aquarium escape [Pangasianodon hypophthalmus (Sauvage, 1878)].