The first occurrence of Cobitis paludica (de Buen, 1930) in the Segura River Basin (SE Iberian Peninsula)

The aim of the present report is to describe the establishment of viable populations of Cobitis paludica (de Buen, 1930) in the Segura River Basin. We found two isolated populations: one located in the upper part of the Segura River and the mouth of its tributary, the Zumeta River, and another in the Mundo River, between the Talave and Camarillas reservoirs. We hypothesised that the introduction of this species may be attributable to the deliberate or accidental introduction by anglers or fish translocation from the Tajo-Segura interbasin water transfer system. C. paludica is a threatened endemic fish species from the Iberian Peninsula, and it exhibits sharply declining populations. Therefore, further investigation is needed to assess the genetic origin of the populations reported in this report and to monitor the population trends to determine the population status and the appropriate management plan in the Segura River Basin.