Luciobarbus Explained

Luciobarbus is a genus of ray-finned fishes in the family Cyprinidae. Its members are found in fresh and brackish waters of southern Europe, northern Africa, the wider Near East, the Aral and Caspian Seas, and rivers associated with these. Several species in the genus are threatened. Most species are fairly small to medium-sized cyprinids, but the genus also includes several members that can surpass 1m (03feet) in length and the largest, the mangar (L. esocinus) can reach .

Systematics

The type species is Luciobarbus esocinus, for which the genus was established by Heckel in 1843. The scientific name essentially means "pike-barbel" (after the northern pike, Esox lucius).[1]

Like many other cyprinids, the present genus was long included in Barbus. It appears to be a very close relative of the typical barbels  - which include that genus type species, Barbus barbus  -, and may well warrant inclusion in Barbus. Many modern authors prefer to consider it a subgenus instead. It is, moreover, not entirely clear what species to place in Luciobarbus if it is deemed valid. The IUCN argues for a rather inclusive circumscription. Nonwithstanding the taxonomy and systematics of this ill-defined assemblage, their closest living relative is probably Aulopyge huegelii.[2]

Species

The species in this genus:

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 7 June 2023. Family CYPRINIDAE: Subfamily BARBINAE Bleeker 1859 (Barbels). 23 January 2024. The ETYFish Project. en-US.
  2. de Graaf et al. (2007), Almodóvar et al. (2008), IUCN (2009)
  3. Casal-Lopez, M., Perea, S., Yahyaoui, A. & Doadrio, I. (2015): Taxonomic review of the genus Luciobarbus Heckel, 1843 (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae) from Northwestern Morocco with the description of three new species. Graellsia, 71 (2): e027.

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