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Barbus meridionalis Risso, 1827

Mediterranean barbel
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Image of Barbus meridionalis (Mediterranean barbel)
Barbus meridionalis
Picture by Muséum-Aquarium de Nancy/D. Terver

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Cypriniformes (Carps) > Cyprinidae (Minnows or carps) > Barbinae
Etymology: Barbus: Latin, barbus = barbel (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: Sir Charles Alfred Payton (1843–1926) was a British adventurer, writer, fisherman and diplomat who was British Consul to Morocco, where this barb is found. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Risso.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; benthopelagic. Temperate; 5°C - 25°C (Ref. 12468); 53°N - 36°N, 10°W - 29°E

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Europe: rivers draining to Mediterranean from Besos (near Barcelona, northeastern Spain) to Var (at Nice, southeastern France) drainages, including Rhône as far uprivers as Lyon; some headwaters of Garonne basin in Ariège, Tarn and Aveyron (France), apparently native in most, but introduced in at least some upper Tarn localities (Ref. 59043). Barbus meridionalis graellsii found in southern France and central and northern Spain (now recognized as species (Ref. 13696)). The Italian populations now recognized as Barbus caninus (Ref. 13696).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 27.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 27718); 25.3 cm FL (female); common length : 20.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 556); max. published weight: 200.00 g (Ref. 30578)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 3 - 4; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7 - 9; Anal spines: 2 - 3; Anal soft rays: 5 - 6; Vertebrae: 34 - 35. Diagnosed from other species of Barbus and Luciobarbus in Apennine and Iberian Peninsulas and southern France by the following characters: 44-48 +2 scales on lateral line; 24-28 scale rows around caudal peduncle; head, back, sides and fins with large, irregular black dots; last simple dorsal ray not spinous, flexible, not serrated posteriorly; lower lip thick, with a median swollen pad (Ref. 59043). Caudal fin with 16-19 rays (Ref. 2196).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Inhabits upper and middle stretches of streams with fast, clear and well oxygenated water, as well as lowland areas where Barbus barbus is absent (Ref. 59043). A short-lived species which is found in clear waters over sand and gravel. Feeds on small invertebrates and (rarely) plants. A combative fish which can be captured with bows or floating ling lines (Ref. 30578). Threatened due to water abstraction and pollution (Ref. 26100) and habitat modification (Ref. 59043). In southern France, locally forms partly fertile hybrids with B. barbus. Attains a maximum size of about 27 cm SL (Ref. 59043).

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

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. 130435: Version 2024-1)

  Near Threatened (NT) ; Date assessed: 31 January 2006

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; gamefish: yes
FAO - Fisheries: landings; Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Collaborators
References
References

Tools

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Alien/Invasive Species database | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Fisheries: landings; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01175 (0.00735 - 0.01879), b=2.97 (2.84 - 3.10), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  2.9   ±0.36 se; based on food items.
Generation time: 7.7 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 1 growth studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.14; Fec=669).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate to high vulnerability (51 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Unknown.