Alburnus arborella

Alburnus arborella
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Leuciscidae
Subfamily:	Leuciscinae
Genus:	Alburnus
Species:	A. arborella
Binomial name
Alburnus arborella (Bonaparte, 1841) [2]
Synonyms
Aspius arborellaBonaparte, 1841 Cyprinus albor Scopoli, 1786 Cyprinus lanceolatus Bloch & Schneider, 1801 Aspius alborella De Filippi, 1844 Alburnus alborella(De Filippi, 1844)

Alburnus arborella, the alborella ot Italian bleak, is a species of freshwater fish in the family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces. minnows and related fishes This fish is found in northern Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Slovenia and Croatia.

Taxonomy

Alburnus arborella was first formally described as Aspius arborella in 1841 by the French biologist and art collector Charles Lucien Bonaparte with its type locality given as the lakes of northern Italy. This taxon has been regarded as a subspecies of the common bleak (A. alburnus) but is now regarded as a valid species. ^[3] The genus Alburnus is classified within the subfamily Leuciscinae of the family Leuciscidae. ^[4]

Etymology

Alburnus arborella belongs to the genus Alburnus a name derived from the Latin for whitefish but it also refers to the bleak, a name which means pale in English, in reference to the pale non lustrous colour of A. alburnus. The specific name, arborella, is thought to be a misspelling of alborella, the Italian common name for this fish. ^[5]

Description

Alburnus arborella is distinguished from related species around the Adriatic Sea by having the origin of the anal fin immediately to the underneath the 4th to 8th branched dorsal fin rays. The anal fin has between 13 and 16+1⁄2. The ventral keel is exposed and is partially or completely scaled. In life there is a faint stripe along the lateral line and this becomes more distinct in preserved specimens. The pectoral fin does not extend as far as the base of the pelvic fin. The mouth is upward pointing. This species has a maximum standard length is 12.7 cm (5.0 in). ^[6]

Distribution and habitat

Alburnus arborella is endemic to rivers which drain into the northern part of the Adriatic Sea from the Chienti darinage basin in Marche to Istria, there is an isolated population in the Zrmanja bain in Croatia. This fish has been introduced other parts of Italy, including northern Sardinia, and Croatia. The alborella can be found in a wide range of aquatic habitats from large subalpine lakes to lowland rivers and small streams. It is also found in anthropogenic habitats such as reservoirs and canalised rivers. ^[1]

References

1. Ford, M. (2024). "Alburnus arborella". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2024: e.T135670A135068281. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T135670A135068281.en .
2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2015). "Alburnus arborella". FishBase .
3. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Alburnus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 3 April 2025.
4. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Leuciscinae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 3 April 2025.
5. Christopher Scharpf (8 April 2024). "Family LEUCISCIDAE: Subfamily LEUCISCINAE Bonaparte 1835 (European Minnows)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
6. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Alburnus arborella". FishBase . October 2024 version.