Luciobarbus graecus (Steindachner, 1895)

Freyhof, Jörg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 234-235

Luciobarbus graecus

Common name. Greek barbel.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Luciobarbus in Mediterranean basin by: ● 43–48 total lateral line scales. Size up to 400 mm SL.

Distribution . Türkiye: Bakacak on Biga Peninsula west to Çanakkale and south to Büyük Menderes. Also, lakes Yliki and Paralimni plus Sperchios drainage in southwestern Greece. Introduced to Beletsi and Marathon reservoirs and Kifissos drainage.

Habitat. Large to medium-sized streams and rivers with moderate currents. Also, in reservoirs.

Biology. Spawns April−July.

Conservation status. LC.

Remarks. Luciobarbus kottelati , and L. lydianus are synonyms. The biogeography of L. graecus is a mystery, and it is possible that L. graecus was introduced to Greece before the time of ichthyological exploration.

Further reading. Turan et al. 2008a (description as L. kottelati ); Güçlü et al. 2013, İlhan et al. 2020, 2021 (distribution in Anatolia); Freyhof & Yoğurtçuoğlu 2024 (synonymy of L. kottelati and L. lydianus )

Figures

Luciobarbus graecus

Distribution