Barbus barbus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	ACTINOPTERYGII	CYPRINIFORMES	CYPRINIDAE

Scientific Name:

Barbus barbus

Species Authority:

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Barbel

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2008

Assessor/s

Freyhof, J. & Kottelat, M.

Evaluator/s:

Bogutskaya, N., & Smith, K. (IUCN Freshwater Biodiversity Unit)

Justification:
The species has a very wide distribution. However it is locally threatened by water pollution and river regulation, especially in the Baltic drainages, Elbe, South Bug and Dniepr. Sharp decline due to construction of large reservoirs and pollution occurred during 20th century. However has since stabilised at a moderate level. Heavily impacted by pollution in central Europe but recovering.

History:

1996

–

Lower Risk/least concern (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	North of the Pyrénées and Alps, from Adour (France) eastward to Neman (Lithuania, Russia) drainages, in rivers draining to Atlantic, North Sea and southern Baltic Sea; Danube to Dniepr drainages in northern Black Sea basin; southeastern England north to Yorkshire. In almost all Mediterranean drainages of France. Locally introduced in northern and central Italy, rivers Wear, Tees and Medway and most western drainages of England.
Countries:	Native: Andorra; Austria; Belarus; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Czech Republic; France; Germany; Hungary; Italy; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Moldova; Montenegro; Netherlands; Poland; Romania; Russian Federation; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Switzerland; Ukraine; United Kingdom
Range Map:	(click map to view full version)

Population [top]

Population:	Abundant.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Habitat: From premontane to lowland reaches of clear, warm, medium sized to large rivers with fast current and gravel bottom. Occasionally in lakes. Spawns usually in very shallow, fast-flowing waters, in riffles. Overwinters often in large aggregations inactive or active in slow-flowing river habitats. Biology: Adults often shoal, hiding under overhanging trees or bridges during day. Most active during dusk and dawn. Lives up to 15 years. Males usually spawn for the first time at 2-5 years, females 1-2 years later. Spawns in May-July, rarely until September when temperature reaches 15°C. Females spawn several times, usually at intervals of 10-15 days each season. Adults often undertake considerable spawning migrations. Lake populations migrate to tributaries. Individual females spawn with several males. Males assemble at spawning grounds and follow ripe females, often with much splashing, to shallow riffles. Males may exhibit courting or sneaking tactics in spawning sites. Courting males follow females to spawning site and, during the spawning act, one male swims head to head with the female. Sneaking males, waiting in the spawning site, then join the couple and try to fertilize eggs. Up to 130 males have been reported to be involved in a single spawning act. Females deposit 2-3 portions of non-sticky eggs into excavations made in the gravel. Feeding larvae drift a short distance from spawning site to shallow shoreline habitats. Larvae and juveniles are benthic, in very shallow shoreline habitats. They leave the shores for faster-flowing waters as they grow. Larvae and juveniles active during both day and night. Feeds on a wide variety of benthic invertebrates, small fish and sometimes on algae.
Systems:	Freshwater

Habitat and Ecology:

Habitat:
From premontane to lowland reaches of clear, warm, medium sized to large rivers with fast current and gravel bottom. Occasionally in lakes. Spawns usually in very shallow, fast-flowing waters, in riffles. Overwinters often in large aggregations inactive or active in slow-flowing river habitats.

Biology:
Adults often shoal, hiding under overhanging trees or bridges during day. Most active during dusk and dawn. Lives up to 15 years. Males usually spawn for the first time at 2-5 years, females 1-2 years later. Spawns in May-July, rarely until September when temperature reaches 15°C. Females spawn several times, usually at intervals of 10-15 days each season. Adults often undertake considerable spawning migrations. Lake populations migrate to tributaries. Individual females spawn with several males. Males assemble at spawning grounds and follow ripe females, often with much splashing, to shallow riffles. Males may exhibit courting or sneaking tactics in spawning sites. Courting males follow females to spawning site and, during the spawning act, one male swims head to head with the female. Sneaking males, waiting in the spawning site, then join the couple and try to fertilize eggs. Up to 130 males have been reported to be involved in a single spawning act. Females deposit 2-3 portions of non-sticky eggs into excavations made in the gravel. Feeding larvae drift a short distance from spawning site to shallow shoreline habitats. Larvae and juveniles are benthic, in very shallow shoreline habitats. They leave the shores for faster-flowing waters as they grow. Larvae and juveniles active during both day and night. Feeds on a wide variety of benthic invertebrates, small fish and sometimes on algae.

Systems:

Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Water pollution, dams, river regulation.

Major Threat(s):

Water pollution, dams, river regulation.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	No information.

Conservation Actions:

No information.

Citation:	Freyhof, J. & Kottelat, M. 2008. Barbus barbus. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 December 2008.
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