Phoxinus Phoxinus comprises small fishes readily identifiable by their black lateral stripe or series of blotches and characteristic body shape. In West Asia, Phoxinus is the sole representative of a large radiation of minnows, particularly diverse in North America, where almost all Leuciscids belong to phoxinine minnows. The genus Phoxinus is highly diverse, extending from eastern Spain to Siberia. However, this diversity has only recently received attention, and most populations are still identified as P. phoxinus . Phoxinus phoxinus is endemic to Central Europe. Phoxinus is only marginally distributed in West Asia and is known from the south-eastern Black Sea basin ( P. colchicus ) and northwestern Anatolia ( P. abanticus , P. kottelati ). Phoxinus has become the victim of “molecular parataxonomists”, and the description of many new species without morphological and minor molecular differences can be expected. Also, in West Asia, this might result in the recognition of many new species, all closely related and indistinguishable by external characters.

Phoxinus Phoxinus comprises small fishes readily identifiable by their black lateral stripe or series of blotches and characteristic body shape. In West Asia, Phoxinus is the sole representative of a large radiation of minnows, particularly diverse in North America, where almost all Leuciscids belong to phoxinine minnows. The genus Phoxinus is highly diverse, extending from eastern Spain to Siberia. However, this diversity has only recently received attention, and most populations are still identified as P. phoxinus. Phoxinus phoxinus is endemic to Central Europe. Phoxinus is only marginally distributed in West Asia and is known from the south-eastern Black Sea basin ( P. colchicus) and northwestern Anatolia ( P. abanticus, P. kottelati). Phoxinus has become the victim of “molecular parataxonomists”, and the description of many new species without morphological and minor molecular differences can be expected. Also, in West Asia, this might result in the recognition of many new species, all closely related and indistinguishable by external characters.

Further reading. Artaev et al. 2024 (Caucasian Phoxinus ).

Key to species of Phoxinus in West Asia

1a - Scales on complete belly between pectoral base in male; a supraorbital ridge margined by a longitudinal depression extending from nostrils backwards. ………………… P. colchicus

1b - No scales on belly between pectoral bases or belly incompletely covered by scales in male; no supraorbital ridge; no depression behind nostrils. …………………2

2a - 60–69 total lateral line scales; caudal peduncle depth: 1.8–2.3 times in length; no scales on chest in male and female. ………………… P. abanticus

2b - 77–90 total lateral line scales; caudal peduncle depth: 2.3–2.9 times in length; middle of belly scaled but separated area by a naked area anteriorly in male. ………………… P.kottelati