As traditionally defined,
G. rufa is native to
Turkey,
Syria,
Jordan,
Israel,
Palestine,
Iraq and
Iran. Several
subspecies have been described, but their validity is questionable, and in the last few decades, authorities have generally not recognized them. Nevertheless, reviews published since 2014 have provided
genetic and morphologic evidence for recognizing some of them as separate species, while other
new species have been described from the species complex. This includes
G. turcica (formerly a subspecies) from its Turkish range, except the Tigris–Euphrates system,
G. jordanica (new species) from the northern
Dead Sea basin, including the Jordan River, in Israel, Jordan and Syria,
G. gymnothorax (formerly a subspecies) from the
Karun,
Balarud and
Bashar systems in Iran,
G. mondica (new species) of the Mond River basin in Iran, and
G. amirhosseini (new species) from the Sartang-e-Bijar Spring in the Tigris River system in Iran.
G. jordanica and
G. turcica have entirely separate ranges from true
G. rufa (thus limiting its range to the Tigris–Euphrates system and river systems in Iran), but the others do overlap in range with true
G. rufa or at least occur in the same river basins. Other members of the
G. rufa complex are
G. barreimiae,
G. elegans,
G. ghorensis,
G. longipinnis,
G. nana,
G. persica,
G. rossica, and
G. sahilia, but these were generally recognized as valid species many years ago. Finally the complex includes four
cavefish:
G. lorestanensis,
G. tashanensis,
G. typhlops and
G. widdowsoni. ==Fish pedicure==