The South European nase (''Protochondrostoma genei'') is a species of

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Leuciscidae Leuciscidae is a family of freshwater ray-finned fishes, formerly classified as a subfamily of the Cyprinidae, which contains the true minnows. Members of the Old World (OW) clade of minnows within this subfamily are known as European minnow ...

, which includes the daces, Eurasian minnows and related species. It is the only species in the

monospecific genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

''Protochondrostoma''. This species is found in Italy and Slovenia.

Taxonomy

The South European nase was first formally described as ''Leuciscis genei'' in 1839 by the French

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

and art collector

Charles Lucien Bonaparte Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano (24 May 1803 – 29 July 1857) was a French naturalist and ornithology, ornithologist, and a nephew of Napoleon. Lucien and his wife had twelve children, including Cardinal ...

with its type locality given as "Piedmont Lakes" in Italy. It is now classified as the only species in the genus ''Protochondrostoma'' within the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Leuciscinae Leuciscinae is a subfamily of freshwater Actinopterygii, ray-finned fishes belonging to the Family (biology), family Leuciscidae, which includes the fishes known as daces, chubs, shiners and minnows. The fishes in this subfamily are mainly found i ...

of the family

. The genus was proposed in 2007 when a number of southern European species were split from '' Chondrostoma'' on the basis of genetic evidence and reclassified into the genera '' Achondrostoma'', ''

Iberochondrostoma ''Iberochondrostoma'' is a genus of freshwater Actinopterygii, ray-finned fishes belonging to the Family (biology), family Leuciscidae. The fishes in this genus are Endemism, endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. Species ''Iberochondrostoma'' contain ...

'', '' Pseudochondrostoma'', ''Protochondrostoma'' and '' Parachondrostoma''. With this taxon being the most basal of the genera split from ''Chondrostoma''.

Etymology

The South European nase is the only species in the genus ''Protochondrostoma'', this name prefixes ''Chondrostoma'' with ''proto-'' which means "first", this reflects the basal position of this genus compared to the other genera which were slit from ''Chondrostoma''. The specific name, ''genei'', honours the Italian zoologist Giuseppe Géné, who was director of the Royal Zoological Museum at Turin.

Description

The South European nase is distinguished from the Italian '' Chondrostoma'' by having a wide dark midlateral strip extending from the eye to the base of the tail. It has a arched mouth with a thin lower lip which has a well-developed horny sheath. There are between 50 and 62 scales along the

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelia ...

and branched fin rays in the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...

. The body is slender. There are red bases to all the fins other than the dorsal fin. This species has a maximum

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish measured f ...

of , although is more typical.

Distribution and habitat

The South European nase is indigenous to the river systems draining into the northern

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

, from the Vomano in eastern Italy to the

Soča Soča (, in Slovene) or Isonzo (, in Italian; other names: ; ; or ') is a long river that flows through western Slovenia () and northeastern Italy (). An Alpine river in character, its source lies in the Trenta Valley in the Julian Alps ...

in western Slovenia. It has been introduced to rivers further south in Italy into rivers draining into the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy. Geography The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...

and

Ligurian Sea The Ligurian Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea. It lies between the Italian Riviera ( Liguria) and the island of Corsica. The sea is thought to have been named after the ancient Ligures people. Geography The sea borders Italy as far as ...

. This species prefers rivers below above sea level, especially where the habitat is complex with variable substrates, current speeds, undercut banks, submerged wood, rocks and aquatic vegetation.

Biology

The South European nase is found in groups. It is an omnivore, its diet dominated by algae growing on rocks and stones as well as aquatic insects. It migrates, in groups, to spawn in the main tributaries, spawning over gravel where there is a fast flow. Spawning has been reported to take place in March to June. They are sexually mature at 3 or 4 years old. The breeding males change colour and develop nuptail tubercles. They are fractional spawners and each female may lay between 2,000 and 5,000 eggs per year.

Conservation

The South European nase is classified as Vulnerable by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

. The decline in the population has been attributed to a combination of modification of the rivers it lives in, pollution and

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1061956 Leuciscinae Fauna of Italy Fauna of Slovenia Fish described in 1839 Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Habitats Directive species