Cyprinidae

Freyhof, Jörg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 87-89

Family Cyprinidae

Barbels and carps

Cyprinids are the most speciose fish family, with about 1800 species recognised worldwide. In our region, 124 species have been identified. In West Asia, true cyprinids come in five evolutionary lineages and a variety of body shapes and ecological groups. True barbels of the genera Barbus , Luciobarbus , Capoeta , and Cyprinion are distinguished by having a serrated posterior margin of the last branched dorsal ray.True barbels are most diverse in West Asia and Europe. Labeonines of the genera Garra , Tariqilabeo , and Bangana have a horny sheath on the lower jaw, often a complicated, strongly modified mouth morphology,and a smooth posterior margin of the last branched dorsal ray. Labeonines are a diverse group of fishes, being widespread and speciose,especially in tropical Asia and Africa. Yellowfishes or Torini of the genera Arabibarbus , Carasobarbus , Mesopotamichthys , and most likely also unstudied Caecocypris , form a third independent evolutionary lineage. They have large, shield-shaped scales and a smooth posterior margin of the last branched dorsal ray. Along with the African genera Acapoeta , Pterocapoeta , Labeobarbus (including Varicorhinus and Sanagia ) and several South Asian genera, Torini forms a well-supported monophyletic group. Carps of the genera Carassius and Cyprinus have an exceptionally long dorsal fin and a serrated posterior margin of the last branched dorsal ray. Carps are moderately diverse, especially in China, and all but two species found in West Asia are non-native to the region. The last evolutionary lineage is represented by snow barbels, which are split into two phylogenetic groups that are not each other’s closest relatives, both found in Iran. The Schizothoracines include the genus Schizothorax and several others in the high mountains of Asia, as well as the Schizopygopsines, which include Schizopygopsis and several other Asian mountain genera.

In Cyprinidae , the different structures around the mouth are essential for genus diagnosis. These include the rostral cap, the upper and lower lips, the upper and lower jaws, and the barbels. They vary in development or may be absent in different genera. The rostral cap is the fleshy tissue at the tip of the snout. The rostral groove separates the rostral cap from the upper lip. In several genera, the rostral cap develops into a pendulous fold that partly or completely covers the upper lip and the upper jaw. In such cases, the upper lip may be missing. The lower lip is separated from the skin of the throat by a postlabial groove.This groove is usually interrupted in the middle. In some species with fleshy lips, the median part may be hypertrophied and folded backward into a pendulous lobe. A cornified tissue with an anterior cutting edge may cover the lower jaw. In such cases,the lower jaw is often exposed, and the lower lip is restricted to the sides of the jaw.Most species of the genus Garra have a prominent gular disc posterior to the lower jaw. It is important to note that Labeonines have no lower lip.

Further reading. Yang et al. 2015 (phylogeny).

Key to genera of Cyprinidae in West Asia

1a - Last unbranched anal rays strongly ossified; serrated posteriorly. ………………2

1b - Last unbranched anal ray not strongly ossified, not serrated posteriorly. ………………3

2a - No barbels; pharyngeal teeth in one row. ……………… Carassius

2b - Two pairs of barbels; pharyngeal teeth in three rows. ……………… Cyprinus

3a - No barbels. ………………4

3b - One or two pairs of barbels. ………………8

4a - Scales restricted to lateral line, flank above pectoral, and few enlarged scales around anus and anal base. ……………… Schizopygopsis

4b - Flank fully covered by scales. ………………5

5a - A distinctive row of enlarged, tiled scales along anal base. ……………… Schizocypris 5b - No row of enlarged, tiled scales along anal base. ………………6

6a - An elevated gular disk behind lower jaw. ……………… Garra (in part)

6b - Lower lip and lower jaw normally developed, without gular disk. ………………7

7a - Eyes absent or very small, often covered with skin; body whitish or pinkish without any colour patterns. ……………… Caecocypris

7b - Eyes present and well developed; body silvery, golden or brown. ……………… Mesopotamichthys

8a - A distinctive row of enlarged, tiled scales along anal base. ……………… Schizothorax

8b - No row of enlarged, tiled scales along anal base. ………………9

9a - Last unbranched dorsal ray spinous, with serrae along its posterior edge. ………………10

9b - Last unbranched dorsal ray soft or spinous, without serrae along its posterior edge. ………………13

10a – 6–7½ branched anal rays; 12–17½ branched dorsal rays. ……………… Cyprinion

10b - 5½ branched anal rays; 7–9½ branched dorsal rays. ………………11

11a - Lower lip absent or widely interrupted, lower jaw with a sharp-edged horny sheath. ……………… Capoeta

11b - Lower lip with a fleshy lobe in middle, if interrupted, lower jaw without sharp-edged horny sheath. ………………12

12a - Body and fins covered with distinctive small black or dark-brown spots, many species with irregularly shaped brown blotches; nuptial tubercles very small, sand-like all over head. ……………… Barbus and Luciobarbus subquincunciatus

12b - In adults larger than 150 mm SL, body uniform yellowish, brown or grey, without dark-brown or black blotches, sometimes with a faith lateral stripe; few, large nuptial tubercles on snout. ……………… Luciobarbus

13a - Upper lip very narrow, almost completely reduced, hidden under rostral cap. ………………14

13b - Upper lip well developed, separated from skin of snout. ………………16

14a - A gular disc behind lower jaw, usually labrum with free margin,margins fused with skin of throat in G. elegans . ……………… Garra (in part)

14b - No gular disc behind lower jaw. ………………15

15a - 29–34 total scales in lateral series, lower jaw round, without cutting edge; prominent lateral papillate pad on lower jaw. ……………… Garra (in part)

15b - 34–38 total scales in lateral series; lower jaw almost straight, with a sharp cutting edge; no lateral papillate pad on lower jaw. ……………… Tariqilabeo

16a - Rostral cap with a deep lateral groove (labial fold); lower lip absent. ……………… Bangana

16b - Rostral cap without lateral groove; lower lip often with a fleshy lobe or interrupted in middle, but well developed at its margins. ………………17

17a - 6½ branched anal rays; 9−11½ branched dorsal rays; body depth usually 25−40 % SL. ……………… Carasobarbus

17b - 5½ branched anal rays; usually 8½ branched dorsal rays; body depth usually 18−26 % SL. ……………… Arabibarbus