Sahara Aphanius Apricaphanius/Aphanius saourensis

The Sahara Aphanius, a killifish, also called Sahara(n) Toothcarp, is/was endemic to streams and ponds of the Oued Saoura river basin, draining into the Sahara desert in Algeria.

The smaller male (above left and right) is black with iridescent blue spots and a patterned, banded tail; he grows to 3.2cm long. The female (above centre) is plainer with some pale blue and mottling and a transparent tail; she can reach 4cm.

It is critically endangered mainly through extraction of ground water for agricultural use but also by human-made pollution. It has not been seen in its wild habitat since 2004 and may now be extinct in the wild.