Barbatula barbatula (Linnaeus)

Barbatula barbatula (Linnaeus) View in CoL

(Figure 2)

Cobitis barbatula Linnaeus, 1758: 303 View Cited Treatment (type locality: France, Lez River; neotype: MNHN-IC-2024-1386, by present designation).

Noemacheilus barbatulus quignardi B̆acescu-Meşter [L.] 1967:359 (type locality: Le Lez River, near Montpellier, France; holotype: MGAB 77, paratype: MGAB 78, collected with holotype).

Neotype. MNHN-IC-2024-1386 , 46.2 mm SL, male, France, Lez River, Mediterranean Basin , Hérault Department, no coordinates, 1977, Quignard, J. P .

Material examined. MNHN-IC-1977-0134, 2, 37.9 – 44.4 mm SL, topotypes, collected with neotype. MNHN-IC2010-1064, 6 of 7 alc. (1 adult measured, 39.8 mm SL) + 1 mitogenome (voucher tag FFFtag4260, 41.7 mm SL, GenBank Accession Number MW288293), collected in the type locality of B. quignardi , France, Lez River at Prades-le-Lez, Dept. Hérault, 43 Ǫ 420000 N, 3 Ǫ 51057.600 E, 24 Nov 2010, Denys, G. and Office National de l'Eau et des Milieux Aquatiques (ONEMA). MNHN-IC-2021-0358, 1, France, Dept. Hérault, 2021, Denys, G. MNCN-ICTIO 17741 – 17742, 2, France, Isle, Sorgue River, tributary of the Rhône River, 44 Ǫ 1305900 N, 5 Ǫ 9026.5000 E (approx. coordinates), 30 Apr 1968, unknown collector.

Diagnosis. Barbatula barbatula is a member of a monophyletic group of species, herein designated as Western Europe clade (including B. hispanica , B. leoparda , B. fluvicola n. sp. and B. ommata n. sp.), which is diagnosed from all its valid congeners by having a longer dorsal head length 23.2% – 25.8% SL (vs. 19% – 21.8% in B. hispanica , 20% – 21.5% in B. leoparda , 18.4% – 21.7% in B. fluvicola n. sp. and 19.3% – 21.4% SL in B. ommata n. sp.), longer lateral head length 25.9% – 29.6% SL (vs. 22% – 24.9%, 22.5% – 25%, 21.8% – 24.5% and 22.4% – 26.2% SL, respectively), longer predorsal length 55.8% – 60.4% SL (vs. 49.8% – 53.3%, 53.5% – 54.4%, 50.5% – 55.8% and 50.4% – 56.8% SL, respectively), longer prepectoral length 26.2% – 28.7% SL (vs. 20.8% – 25%, 22.2% – 24.7%, 20.9% – 25.1% and 21.3% – 25.8% SL, respectively), longer dorsal fin 24.1% – 25.8% SL (vs. 21.2% – 23.8%, 20.4% – 23.4%, 18.4% – 24.2% and 18.4% – 23.3% SL, respectively), shorter caudal peduncle 11.7% – 12.7% SL (vs. 13.7% – 17.4%, 12% – 14.4%, 13.9% – 17.3% and 12.7% – 16.2% SL, respectively), and protuberant slope present from preceding area of anterior nares (vs. slope preceding anterior nares absent or weakly developed).

It is distinguished from B. leoparda , B. fluvicola n. sp. and B. ommata n. sp. by having longer dorsal-fin base 14.5 – 18.6% SL (vs. 12.8% – 14.4% in B. leoparda , 11.2% – 13.6% SL in B. fluvicola n. sp. and 11.1% – 14.3% in B. ommata n. sp.) and from B. hispanica , B. fluvicola n. sp. and B. ommata n. sp. by having deeper head 51.7% – 57.3% HL (vs. 40.2% – 49.3%, 46.1% – 51.7% and 38.4% – 46% HL, respectively). Barbatula barbatula is further distinguished from B. fluvicola n. sp. and B. ommata n. sp. by having the adpressed anal-fin tip slightly anterior to end of caudal peduncle (vs. adpressed anal-fin tip reaching about middle of caudal peduncle) and larger suborbital depth 33.1% – 36.3% HL (vs. 26.5% – 32.4% and 23.7% – 31.2% HL). It further differs from B. leoparda by having ventral surface of head and area between pectoral to pelvic-fin origin without pigmentation (vs. ventral surface of such areas pigmented with brown to dark irregular blotches); and from B. ommata n. sp. by having a longer first dorsal-fin ray 20% – 24.3%SL (vs. 13.5% – 19.8% SL) and a longer snout 50.8% – 52.6% HL (vs. 37.2% – 46.1% HL).

Redescription. Morphometric data are shown in Table 1. General appearance is shown in Figure 2. Complementary description details are shown in the original description of Barbatula b. quignardi (B̆ acescu-Meşter, 1967). Body short and relatively thickened, roughly cylindrical in cross-section at trunk, gradually compressed towards caudal peduncle. Dorsal profile of head straight rising from snout tip to posterior border of supraoccipital; conspicuous hump demarking posterior border of supraoccipital. Ventral profile of trunk slightly convex. Body depth slightly decreasing from end of dorsal fin towards caudal-fin base. Greatest body depth at predorsal area. Greatest body width at opercle or preceding pectoral-fin origin. Head relatively deep, cylindrical in dorsal view. Dorsal head profile with protuberant slope present from preceding area of anterior nares, larger than congeners.

Anterior border of snout rounded in dorsal view, tapering towards its tip; anterior portion truncated. Eyes laterodorsally positioned; positioned dorsal half on head. Orbital rim free. Nostrils small. Anterior nostril surrounded by elongate fleshy flap-like tube integument; fleshy flap elongated. Posterior nostril without fleshy flap and located close to anterior border of eye. Anterior and posterior nostril closely set, positioned almost continuously and connected by thin skin ridge.

Gill openings united to isthmus laterally approximately at line of inner portion of pectoral-fin base origin. Mouth ventral, arched in a semicircular shape. Upper lip thin; vertical median incision (notch) not evident. Contralateral lower lips separated at midline by a deep notch. Mesial portion of lower lip with well-developed mental lobe forming a fleshy fold, but relatively short; conical protrusion of mental lobe absent. Lateral lobe or projection of lateral portion of lower lips absent. Maxillary barbel longer than premaxillary barbel pairs, surpassing vertical of middle of eye. Two pairs of premaxillary barbel. Mesial premaxillary barbel tip usually not reaching end of mental lobe of lower lip. Lateral premaxillary barbel positioned laterally on snout, longest than mesial barbel; its tip reaching middle of posterior naris.

Pectoral-fin rays i,10*(1), i,11*(1) or 12*(1); distal margin acute, mesial border somewhat convex. Epithelial tubercles present in pectoral-fin pterygiophores and increase in size towards pectoral-fin tip. Pelvic-fin distal border ellipsoid; pectoral origin situated midbody length, at vertical of second branched dorsal-fin ray. Pelvic-fin rays i,6 (1) or I,7*(2). Axillary pelvic lobe present and conspicuous. Dorsal fin long compared to congeners; its origin located slightly posteriorly midbody; fin tip truncated. Dorsal-fin rays i,7½*(3). Anal fin i,5½*(3) rays. Anal fin with distal margin truncated. Anal-fin origin located at third half of body length, posterior to end of ultimate branched dorsal-fin ray. Caudal fin emarginate; upper and lower lobes similar in length. Caudal-fin rays i,8 + 8,i* (3). Caudal-fin peduncle short and deep, approximately same depth as the remain part of body and head. Procurrent rays pronounced and embedded in the skin forming a dorsal and ventral dermal keel extended two thirds or more of caudal peduncle.

Body covered by embedded, tiny, roundish scales, not overlapping each other. Lateral line incomplete and continuous, reaching anterior portion of anal-fin base.

Coloration (in alcohol). Background colour yellowish pale- to light brown. Head surface mottled, sparsely set and fainted towards cheek and lateral part of snout. Dorsolateral portion of body with conspicuous, irregular set five dark-brown blotches (Figure 2). Flank with conspicuous, large, dark-brown, irregular rounded blotches, usually separated from each other. Pigmentation fading below lateral line. Ventral surface of body and head mostly without pigmentation, except for caudal-fin peduncle with few sparsely blotches. Dorsal surface of pectoral-fin base and dorsal-fin base densely dark-brown pigmented. Pigmentation on barbels and lips restricted to few spots and small blotches. Pectoral-fin pterygiophores with elongate dark-brown blotches forming two to three elliptical lines. Dorsal fin with pigmentation concentrated in its base; rays with small, somewhat rectangular dark-brown blotches on all rays, usually arranged in rows. Pelvic-fin rays hyaline or with very faint and scattered pigmentation in outermost rays. Anal fin hyaline. Caudal-fin base with dark-brown, slightly m-shaped bar in middle and comma-shaped blotch on upper caudal-fin base. Caudal fin covered by small, dark-brown, elongate blotches forming vertical series or are randomly distributed all over caudal fin.

Sexual dimorphism. Barbatula barbatula shows pectoral fin elongated, acute in adult males (vs. elliptical to rounded in females and juveniles). In males, second branched ray longest than remaining (vs. third branched ray longest than remaining in females). Well-developed epidermical tubercles in the pectoral-fin rays of adult males (absent in females and not evident in juvenile males). Tubercles present in the principal unbranched ray and 1 – 6 innermost branched rays, rare in eighth ray (Figure 3 in B̆ acescu-Meşter, 1967). Urogenital papilla of males small and conical, and urogenital opening in females rounded; in both sexes, smaller in size when compared to its congeners; more difficult to distinguish the sexes.

Distribution. Barbatula barbatula is currently confirmed to occur in the Lez River in France (see Nomenclature section) and the Sorgue River (based on morphological identification; Figure 3). The presence of the species, confirmed by coI barcode in the lowermost part of the Rhône drainage, is likely to indicate its presence in other surrounding areas. The range of the species may therefore be wider than currently known (Figure 3).

Remarks. Populations from the Doubs and Allaine rivers in the upper portion of Rhône in Switzerland were recovered nested in the B. barbatula clade based on coI gene, but exhibited significant morphological differences compared to B. barbatula populations from the Lez and Sorgue rivers. Additionally, part of the populations from the rivers Le Bied, Broye and Areuse Travor, disconnected streams from the remaining Aare catchment in Switzerland, were also recovered in the coI tree nested within B. barbatula population from the Lez river, although we were unable to check their morphology. Additional material is required to determine whether they are conspecific and to precisely define the geographical range of B. barbatula .