Aphanius danfordii

Aphanius danfordii, the Kızılırmak toothcarp or Sultan Sazlığı toothcarp, is a species of killifish belonging to the family Cyprinodontidae. It is endemic to the Kızılırmak River and the upper Seyhan River drainage systems and is now restricted to a few locations in the Sultan Sazlığı marshes. Though little data is available, the population of the fish seems to be declining. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being 'critically endangered' and fears it may become extinct in the wild if the drainage of the marshes continues. It is endemic to Turkey and distributes in the drainage systems of the Kızılırmak River and in the upper Seyhan River, but further investigations are needed. The Kızılırmak toothcarp shows sexual dimorphism like all Aphanius species. Males have nine to twelve dark grey-black bars on the sides of the body, a dark blue-black dorsal fin and colourless to yellow caudal and anal fin with two or three black lines at the margins. Females have silver-grey body with a large number of dark grey spots. The largest spot is always centered on the base of the caudal fin. All fins are colorless.