Book Fauna Palaestina 4 Year 2014 By Prof Dr Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf von Jaffa ISBN 978-9950-383-77-7

Introduction:
During a field trip to Wadi Qana, which is an important nature
reserve in the northern West Bank of the Jordan River, Salfit
Governorate, State of Palestine, on Monday the 8 th July 2013,
accompanied by the Palestinian Botanist Banan Al Sheikh, my
wife Ola Mostafa Khalaf and my daughter Nora Norman Ali
Khalaf, I inspected Ain Al Basa Spring عٌن البصة and pools at Wadi
Qana وادي قانا , and saw many Doctor Fish (Garra rufa Heckel, 1843)
swimming in the spring and pool waters. These fish were
observed, examined, measured and photographed.
After examining Garra rufa at Ain Al Basa Spring, Wadi Qana
Nature Reserve, I began comparing between the different Middle
Eastern Doctor Fish subspecies.
There are six Garra rufa freshwater subspecies living in the Middle
East: The Doctor Fish subspecies Garra rufa rufa Heckel, 1843,
from southern Turkey, northern Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine,
Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Oman; and Garra rufa obtusa
Heckel, 1843, from northern Syria, northern Iraq and the hot
springs at Kangal, Turkey; and Garra rufa turcica Karaman, 1971
from Ceyhan River Basin, Turkey; and the Persian Doctor Fish
subspecies Garra rufa persica Berg, 1914 from Iran; and Garra rufa
gymnothorax Berg, 1949 from Karun River Basin, Iran; and Garra
rufa crenulata Heckel, 1847 from the Qarah Aqaj River and Saadi,
Iran.
Description and Distinctive Features:
Morphology (Key Characters)
Garra rufa wadiqana has a laterally elongated body shape. Two
pairs of barbels are present. The adhesive disc is well developed
with a free anterior margin. Abundant mucous cells in the
epidermis of the disc gives an oily appearance, and with the
dorso-ventrally compressed snout, offers minimal resistance to
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