Leucos

For the island in the Black Sea, see Snake Island (Black Sea).

Leucos
Leucos aula
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Subfamily: Leuciscinae
Genus: Leucos
Heckel, 1843
Type species
Squalius aula
Bonaparte, 1841

Leucos is a genus of fishes in the family Cyprinidae, from Southern Europe. They are carp close to the genus Rutilus, and were only recently taxonomically distinguished from that genus.[1]

Molecular data suggest that Leucos diverged from Rutilus more than five million years ago, probably during the Messinian salinity crisis. The species of Leucos are typically of small size and they all live in still waters. They differ from Rutilus by the lack of spinous tubercles on scales and head in reproductive males, and also in the pharyngeal teeth formula.[1] The sister group to Leucos is the monotypic Sarmarutilus.[1]

Species

There are currently five recognized species in the genus:[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c Bianco, P.G., Ketmaier, V. (2014). A revision of the Rutilus complex from Mediterranean Europe with description of a new genus, Sarmarutilus, and a new species, Rutilus stoumboudae (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Zootaxa, 3841 (3): 379–402.
  2. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2016). "Species in genus Leucos". FishBase.


Stub icon

This Leuciscidae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.