''Rutilus heckelii'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of freshwater and

brackish water Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuary ...

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 fishes. This species occurs in freshened areas of

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

and

Azov Sea The Sea of Azov is an inland shelf sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Kerch, and sometimes regarded as a northern extension of the Black Sea. The sea is bounded by Russia on the east, and by Ukr ...

s, entering the river drainages that flow into those seas, as well as in some rivers draining into the Aegean Sea.

Taxonomy

''Rutilus heckelii'' was first formally described as ''Leuciscus heckelii'' in 1840 by the Finnish

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

Alexander von Nordmann Alexander von Nordmann (24 May 1803 in Ruotsinsalmi, Vyborg Governorate – 25 June 1866 in Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland) was a Finnish biologist, who contributed to zoology, parasitology, botany and paleontology.Leikola A (2001Nordmann, ...

with its type locality given as

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

, Black Sea, Ukraine. This species is now classified within the genus ''

Rutilus ''Rutilus'', commonly known as roaches, is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces, Eurasian minnows and related fishes. This genus is a widely distributed lineage of leuciscids and r ...

'' in 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

. Some research, however, suggests that ''R. heckelii'' may be a part of a more widely distributed species of roach, whose range extends to Siberia. The proper name of that species is ''

Rutilus lacustris ''Rutilus lacustris'', the Pontic loach or Aral roach, is a species of freshwater Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish belonging to the family (biology), family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces, Eurasian minnows and related fishes. This species oc ...

'', although this has not accepted by ''

Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes Catalog of Fishes is a comprehensive on-line database and reference work on the scientific names of fish species and genera. It is global in its scope and is hosted by the California Academy of Sciences. It has been compiled and is continuously up ...

'' and other, later, authors.

Etymology

''Rutilus heckelii'' belongs to the genus ''Rutilus'', a name which means "red, golden red and reddish yellow" and is an allusion to the red colour of the fins. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

is an

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

which honours

Johann Jakob Heckel Johann Jakob Heckel (23 January 1790 – 1 March 1857) was an Austrian taxidermist, zoology, zoologist, and ichthyology, ichthyologist from Mannheim in the Electoral Palatinate. He worked at the Royal natural history cabinet in Vienna which later ...

, Nordmann's friend at the

Natural History Museum, Vienna The Natural History Museum Vienna () is a large natural history museum located in Vienna, Austria. The NHM Vienna is one of the largest museums and non-university research institutions in Austria and an important center of excellence for all matt ...

in recognition of his advice and assistance.

Description

''Rutilus heckeli'' can be told apart from other roaches in the Black Sea basin by its laterally compressed body, having between 39 and 41 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 ...

, the

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

and

anal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...

both typically have branched fin rays, the mouth is downward pointing, the iris is silvery to yellow, the paired fins and the anal fin are grey with dark margins. The breeding males develop

nuptial tubercles Nuptial tubercles or breeding tubercles (also called pearl organs or nuptial efflorescence) are noticeable skin roughness or horny nodules that form on male fish during breeding. They are made of keratin, the same material as hair, hooves, and ...

on the head and on each scale on the flank. This species has a maximum

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

of.

Distribution and habitat

''Rutilus heckelii'' is found in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov basins in Eastern Europe where it occurs in all the rivers draining into those seas. It is also found in the Aegean basin where it occurs in the rivers from

Lake Volvi Lake Volvi ( - ''Límni Vólvi'') is located at the root of the Chalkidiki peninsula, in the Thessaloniki regional unit of Greece. It is the second largest lake in the country at length and width. Its area is 68 km² and its depth is 20 m ...

east in Greece and

East Thrace East Thrace or Eastern Thrace, also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the part of Turkey that is geographically in Southeast Europe. Turkish Thrace accounts for 3.03% of Turkey's land area and 15% of its population. The largest c ...

. This species spends most of the year in shallow, brackish coastal waters with the adults being most abundant at depths between depth and at salinities of 2-4 ppm during summer. They enter freshwater in estuaries, lagoons and lower reaches of large rivers to

spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawning, the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** ''Spawn: Armageddon' ...

Biology

''Rutilus heckelii'' starts to move closer to the coast in August and into the rivers in September, peaking in October and stopping by the end of November. It then overwinters in the main river channel or in estuaries. The spawning migration recommences when the ice on the rivers breaks up and spawing starts in April and May, the adults descend the rivers immediately after spawning is complete with the juveniles moving downstream to the estuaries in the August after hatching.

Utilisation

''Rutilus heckelii'' is commonly air-dried and salted, as are related species of roach, to create a popular beer snack,

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, other countries of the former

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and parts of

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

, known as 'taran' or 'taranka', after the Russian word for this fish species, 'тарань'.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1195480 Fish of West Asia Freshwater fish of Europe Fish described in 1814 heckelii