Capoeta tinca (Heckel, 1843) Living

Capoeta tinca View in CoL

Common name. Fourbarbel scraper.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Capoeta in Marmara and Black Sea basin and Central Anatolia by: ○ two pairs of barbels / ○ 69–87 total lateral-line scales / ○ 14–17 scale rows between lateral line and dorsal origin / ○ 9–11 scale rows between lateral line and anal origin / ○ 16–22 gill rakers / ○ 17–28 serrae on last unbranched dorsal ray / ○ edge of lower jaw cornified / ○ lips narrow, not fleshy or pleated / ○ shape of lower jaw polymorphic, wide and straight or arched and narrow in parts of individuals / ○ snout short and blunt. Size up to 220 mm SL, likely to grow larger.

Distribution. Türkiye: Lake İznik, Eber and Akşehir basin and Sursuluk (Marmara basin) east to Kızılırmak drainage.

Habitat. Ubiquitous, inhabits a wide range of water bodies at least temporarily connected to running waters such as springs, streams, rivers, and cold headwaters. Found in lakes, reservoirs, and large rivers.

Biology. Lives up to 10 years. Matures at 2 (male) or 3 years (female). Spawns May and June (Central Anatolia).

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. Populations from the Black Sea basin were recognised as C. baliki , described from Sakarya. As more data became available, they were found to be conspecific with C. tinca . No characters could be found to distinguish the two species. Populations from Kızılırmak are very closely related to C. tinca , with only minor molecular differences.

Further reading. Ekmekçi 1996 (biology); Ekmekçi & Özeren 2003 (biology); Turan et al. 2006a (description as C. baliki ); Bektaş et al. 2017 (phylogeny); Yoğurtçuoğlu et al. 2020a (distribution).