Romanichthys

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Romanichthys
Asprete.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae
Subfamily: Luciopercinae
Tribe: Romanichthyini
Genus: Romanichthys
M. Dumitrescu, Bănărescu & N. Stoica, 1957
Species:
R. valsanicola
Binomial name
Romanichthys valsanicola
M. Dumitrescu, Bănărescu & N. Stoica, 1957

Romanichthys is a genus of ray-finned fish. It is one of two genera in the tribe Romanichthyini which, along with the tribe Luciopercini, forms the subfamily Luciopercinae of the family Percidae. This happens alongside the perches, ruffes, and darters. The genus contains the single species Romanichthys valsanicola, known as the sculpin-perch, asprete, or Romanian darter.

Contents

This fish was described in 1957 by Romanian student scientists M. Dumitrescu, P. Bănărescu, and N. Stoica. Local names include asprete, poprete, and sforete. Endemic to a very restricted area in southern Romania, it was found in the upper reach of the Argeş River and in two of its tributaries: Râul Doamnei and Vâlsan. Due to hydrotechnical constructions and deterioration of its habitat, it survived only in the tributary Vâlsan.

Description

R. valsanicola is a small, greyish-brown fish growing to about 10–12 cm (4–4.5 in) long, covered with small, rough scales. It can be distinguished from other European perches by the two clearly separated dorsal fins. The first has eight or nine spines and the anal fin has 7½ branched rays and 58–68 scales along the lateral line. [2] The fish is considered to be a living fossil, unchanged for tens of millions of years. [3]

Biology

The time of reproduction is in May and June. The female lays 120 to 150 eggs under rocks. This fish is active at night and feeds on the aquatic larvae of insects such as stoneflies (Plecoptera), caddisflies (Trichoptera), and mayflies (Ephemeroptera). It hides under stones during the day. [2] It is a nocturnal species that is highly territorial, and the territories are aggressively defended at night. [4]

Status

This species is an endangered freshwater fish and is found on the red list of the IUCN, where it is rated as Critically Endangered. Its area of distribution has drastically diminished, and it is now considered to be the European fish genus with the most restricted range. The last remaining population in the Vâlsan River is totally reliant on the amount of water released by the reservoir immediately upstream. [1] A Romanian NGO, the Bucharest Institute of Biology, has worked to preserve this species with the financial support of the Regional Environmental Center. [5] Official estimates assert that no more than 15 specimens are living in a 1 km2 (0.39 sq mi) area of the Vâlsan; observations as of October 2022 have confirmed 58 individuals. [6]

Taxonomy

Romanichthys is the sister taxon of the four species in the genus Zingel and some evidence suggests that these two genera may be a single genus and that the asprete should be classified within Zingel. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percidae</span> Family of fishes

The Percidae are a family of ray-finned fish, part of the order Perciformes, which are found in fresh and brackish waters of the Northern Hemisphere. The majority are Nearctic, but there are also Palearctic species. The family contains more than 200 species in 11 genera. The perches and their relatives are in this family; well-known species include the walleye, sauger, ruffe, and three species of perch. However, small fish known as darters are also a part of this family.

<i>Sander</i> (fish) Genus of fishes

Sander is a genus of predatory ray-finned fish in the family Percidae, which also includes the perches, ruffes, and darters. They are also known as "pike-perch" because of their resemblance to fish in the unrelated Esocidae (pike) family. They are the only genus in the monotypic tribe Luciopercini, which is one of two tribes in the subfamily Luciopercinae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Râul Doamnei</span> River in Argeș County, Romania

Râul Doamnei is a left tributary of the river Argeș in Romania. Its source is on the eastern slope of Moldoveanu Peak, the highest mountain peak in Romania. It discharges into the Argeș just north of Pitești. Its upper course, upstream from the confluence with the Zârna, is also called Valea Rea. Its length is 107 km (66 mi) and its basin size is 1,836 km2 (709 sq mi). It frequently dries up in summer, owing to the works upstream that have redirected part of its water supply toward a reservoir serving the hydroelectric plant on the Argeș.

<i>Ammocrypta</i> Genus of fishes

Ammocrypta is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fish, commonly known as the sand darters, which is classified in the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae which also includes the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. The species in the genus occur in eastern North America in Canada and the continental United States.

<i>Crystallaria</i> Genus of fishes

Crystallaria is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fish which is classified in the subfamily Etheostomatinae, commonly known as the darters, part of the family Percidae which also includes the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. They are found in the Mississippi River basin from Ohio to Minnesota and in southern Mississippi, northern Louisiana, and southeastern Oklahoma, and on the Gulf Slope of Escambia, Mobile Bay, and the Pearl River drainages. They have now been extirpated from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois.

<i>Gymnocephalus</i> Genus of fishes

Gymnocephalus is a genus of ray-finned fishes from the family Percidae, which includes the perches, pike-perches and darters. They are from the Western Palearctic area, although one species, Gymnocephalus cernua has been accidentally introduced to the Great Lakes region where it is regarded as an invasive species. They have the common name "ruffe" and resemble the true perches in the genus Perca, but are usually smaller and have a different pattern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common percarina</span> Species of fish

Common percarina is a species of fish in the family Percidae. It is found in northwestern Black Sea basin in estuaries and coastal lakes, and in the lower reaches of the rivers that drain into that part of the Black Sea. It is a carnivorous species.

<i>Percarina</i> Genus of fishes

Percarina is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Percidae found in eastern Europe. The genus is the only taxon in the monotypic subfamily Percarininae, which is characterised by having the first dorsal fin, having 9-11 spines and being widely separated from the second dorsal fin. They are thought to be closely related both to the perches of the genus Perca and to the ruffes of the genus Gymnocephalus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volga pikeperch</span> Species of fish

The Volga pikeperch, or Volga zander, is a species of fish in the perch family Percidae. It is found in Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.

<i>Zingel balcanicus</i> Species of fish

Zingel balcanicus, the Vardar streber is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish in the family Percidae, the perches, ruffes, pikeperches and the darters. This species is endemic to the Vardar or Axios River in North Macedonia and its distribution may extend to the lower reaches of the river in Greece. Its biology is little known but other species in the genus Zingel require turbulent flows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vâlsan</span> River in Argeș County, Romania

The Vâlsan is a left tributary of the river Argeș in Romania. It discharges into the Argeș near Merișani. Its length is 79 km (49 mi) and its basin size is 348 km2 (134 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond darter</span> Species of fish

The diamond darter is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is named for the sparkling light it reflects during nighttime collections. The diamond darter was first described in 2008 and is only the second known member of its genus, which also includes the crystal darter, C. asprella. On July 26, 2013, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service formally designated the diamond darter as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

The emerald darter, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is found only in northern and eastern Kentucky and northeastern Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo darter</span> Species of fish

The buffalo darter is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is found in the tributaries of the lower Duck and lower Tennessee Rivers. It is distinguished from other darter species by the presence of eight anal rays, as well breeding males having a unique hump behind the head reminiscent of a buffalo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Relict darter</span> Species of fish

The relict darter is a rare species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is endemic to Kentucky, where it occurs only in the drainage of the Bayou de Chien. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.

Gymnocephalus ambriaelacus is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a ruffe, from the family Percidae which is endemic to Lake Ammersee, in the upper Danube basin in southern Germany. This species can reach a length is 11.7 centimetres (4.6 in) (SL). The species is classified as Critically Endangered as its population is declining following the introduction of the ruffe. Some authorities suggest that this taxon may be synonymous with the Balon's ruffe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christmas darter</span> Species of ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae

The Christmas darter is a species of ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae which includes the perches, ruffes and pike-perches. It is found in the Savannah, Ogeechee and Altamaha catchment areas in South Carolina and Georgia. It is a small but colorful fish, typically less than 5 cm (2 in) in total length, with blackish, red and green streaks on its flanks. Green and red are associated with Christmas, hence the common name Christmas darter. Like other darters, it lives on or close to the stream-bed, in riffles and vegetation-laden stretches of small rivers, creeks and spring-fed streams. It feeds on aquatic insects and probably breeds in the spring, but its biology and behavior are poorly known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luciopercinae</span> Subfamily of fishes

The Luciopercinae is a subfamily of ray-finned fish, classified within the family Percidae, the subfamily includes the pike-perches and zingels. The pike-perches of the genus Sander have an Holarctic distribution while the zingels of the tribe Romanichthyini are found in Europe. They are largely freshwater species but some can be found in brackish water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanichthyini</span> Tribe of fishes

Romanichthyini is a tribe of freshwater ray-finned fish which is one of two tribes in the subfamily Luciopercinae, which in turn is classified under the family Percidae, the family also includes the perches, pikeperches, ruffes and darters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etheostomatinae</span> Subfamily of fishes

Etheostomatinae is a species-rich subfamily of freshwater ray-finned fish, the members of which are commonly known as the darters. The subfamily is part of the family Percidae which also includes the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. The family is endemic to North America. It consists of three to five different genera and well over 200 species. A common name for these fish in southern Indiana is pollywog.

References

  1. 1 2 Ford, M. (2024). "Romanichthys valsanicola". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2024: e.T19740A137285480. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  2. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Romanichthys valsanicola". FishBase . December 2019 version.
  3. Stephen McGrath (8 November 2020). "Back from the dead: Race to save Romania's 65 million-year-old fish". BBC . Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  4. Nicolai Craciun; Adrian Ionascu & Florin Aioanei (1999). "Recovery of the Asprete (Romanichthys valsanicola) the oldest species of fish in Europe's fauna". Studii si cercelati | Biologie. 4: 263–268 via ResearchGate.
  5. Petru Banarescu; Liliana Vasiliu-Oromulu (2004). "The survival of Romanichthys valsanicola" (PDF). Results and Perspective. Proceedings of the Institute of Biology. 6: 13–17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 June 2023.
  6. "Large-scale inventory confirms Europe's rarest fish still swims in a Romanian mountain river". Romania Insider. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  7. Carol A. Stepien & Amanda Haponski (2015). "Taxonomy, Distribution, and Evolution of the Percidae". In Patrick Kestemont; Konrad Dabrowski & Robert C. Summerfelt (eds.). Biology and Culture of Percid Fishes. Springer, Dordrecht. pp. 3–60. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-7227-3_1. ISBN   978-94-017-7227-3.