Esmaeilius is a genus of toothcarps in the family Aphaniidae. Most are native to Iran, with the range of one species extending to Iraq as well. Most species in the genus have very small distributions and all are seriously threatened.
Etymology
The generic name pertains to Hamid Reza Esmaeili, for his contribution to the understanding of diversity within the family Aphaniidae.
↑Jörg Freyhof; Baran Yoğurtçuoğlu (July 2020). "A proposal for a new generic structure of the killifish family Aphaniidae, with the description of Aphaniops teimorii (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes)". Zootaxa. 4810 (3): 421–451. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4810.3.2. PMID33055730.
↑Esmaeili, H.R.; Teimori, A.; Gholami, Z.; Reichenbacher, B. (2014). "Two new species of the tooth-carp Aphanius (Teleostei: Cyprinodontidae) and the evolutionary history of the Iranian inland and inland-related Aphanius species". Zootaxa. 3786 (3): 246–268. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3786.3.2. PMID24869537.
↑Gholami, Z.; Esmaeili, H.R.; Erpenbeck, D.; Reichenbacher, B. (2014). "Phylogenetic analysis of Aphanius from the endorheic Kor River Basin in the Zagros Mountains, South-western Iran (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes: Cyprinodontidae)". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 52 (2): 130–141. doi:10.1111/jzs.12052.