Halap Loach

This species is distinguished from O. ercisianus, O. hazarensis, O. kaynaki by possessing a long and high dorsal adipose crest with a whitish margin, reaching beyond the vertical through the anal-fin origin, often below the last dorsal-fin rays when folded down (vs. absence or with a short dorsal-adipose crest, without white margin, on the caudal peduncle not reaching to the vertical through the anal-fin base); with 10-16 bold, narrow, regularly shaped bars, very distinct on the caudal peduncle (vs. a mottled or marmorate flank pattern or the flank with large, irregularly shaped and narrowly spaced dark-brown bars or blotches); most individuals with two bold, black spots at the caudal-fin base (vs. no spots); many isolated, deeply embedded scales on the flank (vs. scales absent in O. ercisianus, scales confined to the caudal peduncle in O. hazarensis)(Ref. 120397).