Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cypriniformes (Carps) >
Cobitidae (Spined loaches)
Etymology: Cobitis: Greek, kobitis, -idos = a kind of sardine; also related with the voice Greek, kobios, Latin gobius = gudgeon (Ref. 45335); pontica: Derived from the ancient Greek name Pont Euxin of the Black Sea..
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Temperate
Europe: From Veleka (Bulgaria) to Istranca (Turkish Thrace) drainages (Ref. 57856); Marmara Sea basin and lower Sakarya drainage (Anatolia) (Ref. 59043).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 10.1 cm SL (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7 - 8; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 6. Upper part of the base of the caudal fin with one elongated dark spot; broad axe-shaped lamina Canestrini in males; scales more or les rounded with relatively small central part devoid of cross furrows; Gambetta's zones of pigmentation well developed, the fourth zone consisting of relative large 13-17, usually 16 spots with depth equals or exceeds (the largest spots before dorsal fin) horizontal eye diameter; suborbital spine in females not reaching posterior edge of pupil, but in smaller males reaches as far as the posterior edge of the pupil or some more; the outer branch of this spine usually (85.7%) not reaching the center of the eye; head some shortened and deep with more or less straight profile; karyotype consists of 50 (10 meta-, 30 submeta-, 8 subtelo- and 2 areocentric) chromosomes, the number of chromosomes arms (NF) - 90 (Ref. 57856).
Found in small brooks to large rivers, in flowing or still waters on sand, silt or mud bottoms (Ref. 59043). Oviparous, possibly with distinct pairing during breeding similar to congeners (Ref. 205).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
During courtship, 'the male follows the female and, after both enter dense vegetation (e.g. filamentous algae), the male forms a complete ring around the female's body behind the dorsal as the female releases the eggs' (Ref. 59043).
Vasil'eva, E.D. and V.P. Vasil'ev, 2006. Cobtitis pontica sp. nova - a new spined loach species (Cobitidae) from the Bulgarian waters. J. Ichthyol. 46(Suppl. 1):15-20. (Ref. 57856)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00562 (0.00254 - 0.01244), b=3.05 (2.87 - 3.23), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.3 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Assumed Fec < 10,000).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).