Squalius cephalus
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Cypriniformes (Carps and Minnows)
Cyprinidae (Carps and Minnows)
Squalius
Squalius cephalus
Description
This species account was compiled from
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Characters
Body shape: fusiform / normal. Differs from its congeners in France, North, Baltic, Arctic, Black and Caspian Sea basins by the possession of the following characters: dorsal profile with a well-marked discontinuity between head and trunk; a row of black pigments along free margin of each flank scale, forming a regular reticulate pattern, with no or very few pigments on central part of scales; anal and pelvic fins orange to red; dorsal fin with 8½ branched rays; anal fin with 8½ branched rays (rarely 9½); scales on lateral line 40-45 + 2-3; mouth terminal, with well marked chin; lower jaw tip not included in the upper lip; interorbital distance 37-42% HL; postorbital distance 47-51% HL; eye diameter 17-22% HL, 1.5-2.3 times in snout length; body depth 22-27% SL; lower jaw long, length greater than depth of operculum; iris whitish; pharyngeal teeth 2,5-5,2; in stretched anal fin of individuals larger than about 15 cm SL, distance between tips of first and last branched rays usually greater than caudal peduncle depth (Ref. 59043). Caudal fin with 19 rays (Ref. 2196).
Distribution
Eurasia: North, Baltic, northern Black, White, Barents and Caspian Sea basins, Atlatinc basins southward to Adour drainages (France), Great Britain north to 56°C, Scandinavia: southern Finland, Sweden north to abut Stockholm. Mediterranean basin from Var to Hérault (possibly Aude) (France) drainages. Introduced elsewhere, Naturally absent from Italy and Adriatic basin.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish. benthopelagic. Found in: streams.
Biology
Most abundant in small rivers and large streams of barbel zone with riffles and pools. Found along shores of slow-flowing lowland rivers, even in very small mountain streams, and in large lake, undertaking spawning migration to inflowing streams. Adults are solitary while juveniles occur in groups. Feeding larvae and juveniles live in very shallow shoreline habitats. Feed on a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial animals and plant material. Large individuals prey predominantly on fishes. Breed in fast-flowing water above gravel bottom, rarely among submerged vegetation. Often form fertile hybrids with Alburnus alburnus (Ref. 59043). Popular with amateur sport fishermen. Can be caught with various baits and lures. The flesh is of poor quality (Ref. 38587).
Max length: 60.0 cm SL; common length: 30.0 cm TL; max weight: 8000 g; max age: 22 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Spawning occurs in fast-flowing water above gravel bottom, rarely among submerged vegetation. Female spawn more than once during a season, individual females spawn with several males. Males assemble at spawning site and follow ripe females, often with much splashing, to shallow riffles. Females lays sticky eggs into the gravel (Ref. 59043). Pale yellow eggs are found attached to gravel, weed and stones in flowing water (Ref. 41678).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2022-05-29. Resilience: Medium (K=0.12-0.28; tm=3-7; tmax=10; Fec=20,000).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish.
References
Spillman, C.-J. (1961) Faune de France: Poissons d'eau douce. Fédération Française des Sociétés Naturelles,Tome 65. Paris. 303 p.
Maitland, P.S. and R.N. Campbell (1992) Freshwater fishes of the British Isles. HarperCollins Publishers, London.368 p.
Sokolov, L.I. and L.S. Berdicheskii (1989) Acipenseridae. p. 150-153. In J. Holcík (ed.) The freshwater fishes of Europe. Vol. 1, Part II. General introduction to fishes Acipenseriformes. AULA-Verlag Wiesbaden. 469 p.
Keith, P. and J. Allardi (coords.) (2001) Atlas des poissons d'eau douce de France. Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris. Patrimoines naturels, 47:1-387.
Kottelat, M. and J. Freyhof (2007) Handbook of European freshwater fishes. Publications Kottelat, Cornol and Freyhof, Berlin. 646 pp.
Teletchea, F., A. Fostier, E. Kamler, J-N. Gardeur, P-Y. Le Bail, B. Jalabert and P. Fontaine (2009) Comparative analysis of reproductive traits in 65 freshwater fish species: application to the domestication of new fish species. Rev. Fish Biol. Fish. 19:403-430.
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