Species Profile: Garra ghorensis

Common Name:   Dead Sea Garra

Description:   Inhabits small springs and streams, feeding predominantly on detritus and algae with minor invertebrate intake (mainly odonate nymphs and gastropods). Matures young, under a year old, in a habitat swinging from sub-zero to over 40°C air temperatures seasonally. Historically also present in Palestinian springs but extirpated there by habitat destruction; now restricted to and critically endangered within Jordan, threatened by water impoundments and invasive species like Oreochromis aureus.

Category:   Cyprinids

Global Region:   Asia

Distribution:   Endemic to springs and streams draining into the southern Dead Sea, Jordan