Albanian barbel

Albanian barbel
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Subfamily: Barbinae
Genus: Luciobarbus
Species:
L. albanicus
Binomial name
Luciobarbus albanicus
(Steindachner, 1870)
Synonyms

Barbus albanicus Steindachner, 1870 (but see text)
Messinobarbus albanicus (Steindachner, 1870)

The Albanian barbel (Luciobarbus albanicus) is a ray-finned fish species in the family Cyprinidae. It is often referred to as "Albanian barbel" in a literal translation of its scientific name.

Distribution and ecology

It occurs from the Mornos' to the Thyamis Rivers' drainage basins, and in Lake Amvrakia, Ioannina and Trichonida; it is absent from the Acheron and its tributaries, however. In addition, it is also found in the Pineios River's drainage basin on the Peloponnese. Though its range is not large, it is quite abundant and not considered a threatened species by the IUCN.[2]

The natural habitats of this fish are the lower course of rivers, lakes and water storage areas, over muddy or sandy bottom. Larvae and young fish gather in schools containing few if any other fishes in brackish bays and harbours. Adults are more solitary and live preferably in freshwater. L. albanicus is an omnivore, eating aquatic invertebrates (mainly insect larvae), algae and other plants, and detritus. They spawn in late spring to mid-summer (May to July) in slow-moving water over sandy ground at lake beaches and in river estuaries. A single female's eggs will be fertilised by the sperm of several (up to 7) males. This species becomes sexually mature at 3 or 4 years of age. It is long-lived, and can get up to 14 years old.[2]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Freyhof, J.; Kottelat, M. (2008). "Luciobarbus albanicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T60728A12401079. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T60728A12401079.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Freyhof & Kottelat (2008)

References

  • Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Luciobarbus albanicus". FishBase. August 2011 version.
  • Almodóvar, Ana; Nicola, Graciela G. & Elvira, Benigno (2008): Natural hybridization of Barbus bocagei x Barbus comizo (Cyprinidae) in Tagus River basin, central Spain [English with French abstract]. Cybium 32(2): 99-102. PDF fulltext
  • de Graaf, Martin; Megens, Hendrik-Jan; Samallo, Johannis & Sibbing, Ferdinand A. (2007): Evolutionary origin of Lake Tana's (Ethiopia) small Barbus species: indications of rapid ecological divergence and speciation. Anim. Biol. 57(1): 39-48. doi:10.1163/157075607780002069 (HTML abstract)