I am a freshwater fish systematist focusing on West Asia, where a complex geological history has produced a rich and incompletely known fish fauna. Combining molecular phylogenetics, morphology, and spatial ecology, I study the systematics and biogeography of fishes, from widespread river lineages to subterranean blind fishes, to discover new species, reconstruct evolutionary histories, and strengthen the taxonomic foundation essential for understanding and conserving freshwater biodiversity.
Keywords
Ichthyology, Freshwater fish, Integrative Taxonomy, Molecular Phylogenetics, Biogeography, Species Distribution Modeling
Researchinterest
I investigate the diversity, evolution and biogeography of freshwater fishes, integrating morphology, molecular phylogenetics and ecology to discover new species, resolve their relationships and understand their distributions.
Currenttopics
- Freshwater fishes of Western Europe under climate change. I bring together data from museum collections, international databases, environmental DNA and image-based observations. I use species distribution models to map where native and non-native fishes occur today, and where they are likely to occur under future climate and land-use scenarios.
- Torrent catfishes (Sisoridae) of the Persian Gulf basin. I combine molecular phylogenetics, morphology and ecological niche modelling to test species boundaries.
- Evolutionary history of Nemacheilidae. In this study, I assess which species are valid, when the main lineages arose, and how they spread across West Asia and Central Asia.
- Subterranean fishes of the Zagros Mountains. I study the taxonomy and evolution of fishes living in caves and groundwater-fed springs in Zagros Mountain, some of the most unusual and vulnerable freshwater fishes in the region.
- Himri barbs from North Africa to West Asia. I work on species boundaries and relationships within this genus, recently including populations from the river basins of Morocco.
Keypublications
- Freyhof, J., Yoğurtçuoğlu, B., Jouladeh-Roudbar, A., & Kaya, C. (2025). Handbook of freshwater fishes of West Asia. De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111677811
- Jouladeh-Roudbar, A., Ghanavi, H. R., & Doadrio, I. (2020). Ichthyofauna from Iranian freshwater: Annotated checklist, diagnosis, taxonomy, distribution and conservation assessment. Zoological Studies, 59, Article e21. https://doi.org/10.6620/ZS.2020.59-21
- Jouladeh-Roudbar, A., Kaya, C., Vatandoust, S., & Ghanavi, H. R. (2024). New insights into the phylogeny of Carasobarbus Karaman, 1971 (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae) with the description of three new species. Scientific Reports, 14(1), Article 21801. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-71463-7
- Jouladeh-Roudbar, A., Ghanavi, H. R., & Freyhof, J. (2023). Glyptothorax vatandousti, a new species of torrent catfish from the upper Karkheh drainage in Iran (Teleostei: Sisoridae). Zootaxa, 5315(1), 37–58. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5315.1.2
- Jouladeh-Roudbar, A., Vatandoust, S., Doadrio, I., & Ghanavi, H. R. (2023). Integrative taxonomy of Turcinoemacheilus Bănărescu & Nalbant, 1964 in West Asia with the description of three new species (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae). Diversity, 15(12), Article 1222. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15121222
- Yousefi, M., Jouladeh-Roudbar, A., & Kafash, A. (2020). Using endemic freshwater fishes as proxies of their ecosystems to identify high priority rivers for conservation under climate change. Ecological Indicators, 112, Article 106137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106137