Biogeography, diversity and conservation of the inland water fish communities in Israel

The inland fish fauna of Israel comprises 32 indigenous species belonging to eight families, and 14-16 introduced species. The native fishes of Israel are of different biogeographical origins: Africa, Central Asia, Levant, the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. The fishes inhabit three separate water systems which have been divided in this work into 12 subunits, which differ from each other in their ecological features. Twelve of the species are endemic to their catchments. Three of the species, all from the upper Jordan Valley, are extinct. The richest ichthyofauna is in the Jordan River Valley with 26 species, 19 of which are found in Lake Kinneret. The distribution patterns of the indigenous species have been updated and the fish assemblages in the different systems are characterized. The human impact on fish biodiversity in Israel is documented here for the first time, including changes in fish distribution patterns.