Leucos albus, the white roach, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the familyLeuciscidae, which includes the daces, Eurasian minnows and related fishes. This species is found in the Lake Skadar drainage system Albania and Montenegro.
Leucos alba belongs to the genus Leucos, this name is derived from the Greek leukos which means "white", the genus was named by Johann Jakob Heckel and he did not explain why he chose this name, it may be that it refers to the silvery colour of Squalius aula. The specific name, albus, is Latin for "white", also referring to the colour of this fish.[4]
Description
Leucos alba has its dorsal and anal fins each supported by 11 soft rays. It can be distinguished from the sympatric and closely related Albanian roach (L. basak) in having between 41 and 44 pored scales on the lateral line rather than between 37 and 39 in the Albanian roach. The commonest number of branched rays in the dorsal fin is 8 in the white roach and 9 in the Albanian roach. There are no markings on the flanks. This species has a maximum published total length25.9cm (10.2in).[5]
Distribution and habitat
Leucos alba is endemic to drainage basin of Lake Skadar in Albania and Montenegro, having been recorded in the Crnojevića River and the lowermost reaches of the Morača River. The white roach is most numerous in Lake Skadar, gather in large shoals near sublacustrine springs in the winter.[1]
Biology
Leucos alba is omnivorous algae, zooplankton and small invertebrates. They life for at least 6 year, reaching sexual maturity from 2 years old. The spawning season runs from late winter into spring.[1]
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