Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Cypriniformes (Carps) > Cobitidae (Loaches) > Cobitinae

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Freshwater; brackish; demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243). Temperate; 4°C - 25°C (Ref. 1672), preferred ?; 62°N - 42°N, 15°E - 61°E

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Europe and Asia: In Europe, north of the Alps, from Meuse eastward to Neva drainages and Lake Ladoga; northern Black Sea basin from Danube eastward to Kuban, absent on the southern section; Caspian basin in Volga and Ural drainages. Not native to Great Britain, Scandinavia, Apennine and Iberian peninsulas, Crimea, and Adriatic, Aegean and White Sea basins. Locally introduced in Rhône drainage (France) and perhaps elsewhere (Ref. 59043). In Appendix III of the Bern Convention (protected fauna) (Ref. 1441).

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ?, range 11 - ? cm
Max length : 30.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 556); 30.7 cm TL (female); common length : 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 556)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 5-6; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8 - 11; Vertebrae: 49 - 50. Broad midlateral stripe from eye to caudal base and narrow stripe from opercle at least to pelvic origin. Lamina circularis absent in males (Ref. 59043). Caudal fin with 14-16 rays (Ref. 40476).

Found in lower reaches of slow-flowing rivers, but can also be found in still pools (Ref. 9696), on sandy bottoms of ponds, pools and ditches. Adults are nocturnal which burrow into mud during dry periods and strong frosts. Usually, burrows are 20-30 cm deep, occasionally down to 70 cm during dry periods (Ref. 59043). During the day, they stay buried in the sand. Feed on insect larvae and small mollusks. Seldom captured with hook and line (Ref. 30578). Are sensitive to pollutants which accumulate in the sediment (Ref. 11941). Facultative air-breathers (Ref. 27368). A female specimen measuring 30.7 cm TL was recorded from Netherlands (Ref. 114650).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Male follows female into dense vegetation and forms a complete ring around her body, behind dorsal fin (Ref. 59043).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Kottelat, M. and J. Freyhof, 2007. Handbook of European freshwater fishes. Publications Kottelat, Cornol and Freyhof, Berlin. 646 pp. (Ref. 59043)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Least Concern (LC)

CITES (Ref. 94142)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest; bait: usually

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Misgurnus fossilis (Linnaeus, 1758)