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Rhodeus amarus (Bloch, 1782)

European bitterling
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United Kingdom country information

Common names: Bitterling
Occurrence: introduced
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Introduced to Great Britain (Ref. 59043). May have been introduced for ornamental reasons. Introduced range in England linked to presence of Unionid mussels. Species is endangered in parts of its native range (Gordon Copp, pers. comm., Oct. 18, 2006).
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/uk.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Kottelat, M. and J. Freyhof, 2007
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Classification / Names Nomi Comuni | Sinonimi | Catalog of Fishes(Genere, Specie) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

> Cypriniformes (Carps) > Acheilognathidae (Bitterlings)
Etymology: Rhodeus: Greek, rhodeos, a,-on = rose (Ref. 45335).
  More on author: Bloch.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecologia

; acqua dolce benthopelagico; distribuzione batimetrica 0 - ? m.   Temperate; 60°N - 40°N

Distribuzione Stati | Aree FAO | Ecosystems | Presenze | Point map | Introduzioni | Faunafri

Europe: central and eastern Europe and northern Asia Minor (Ref. 57778). Basins of North, southern Baltic, Black, western and southern Caspian and Aegean Seas (from Maritza to Struma drainages); Mediterranean basin, only in northern Rhône (France) and Drin drainages (Alabania, Montenegro, Macedonia). Abundant and expanding in most of its range, but locally threatened by water pollution, weed clearing, and stocking of predatory fish (Ref. 59043).

Length at first maturity / Size / Peso / Age

Maturity: Lm 4.4, range 3 - 6 cm
Max length : 11.2 cm TL maschio/sesso non determinato; (Ref. 88166); common length : 5.0 cm TL maschio/sesso non determinato; (Ref. 556); Età massima riportata: 5 anni (Ref. 9696)

Short description Morfologia | Morfometria

Spine dorsali (totale): 3; Raggi dorsali molli (totale): 8-10; Spine anali 3; Raggi anali molli: 8 - 10; Vertebre: 34 - 36. Caudal fin with 19 to 20 soft rays. Differs from Rhodeus meridionalis by having sub-inferior mouth (vs. terminal), rostral cap covering all or at least more than half of upper lip (vs. only upper part of upper lip) (Ref. 59043).

Biologia     Glossario (es. epibenthic)

Occurs most abundantly in still or slow-flowing water with dense aquatic vegetation and sand-silt bottom as lowland ponds, canals, slow-flowing rivers, backwaters and oxbows, where mussels are present (Ref. 59043). Found among plants over sand and muddy bottoms in shallow waters. Remarkable for its habit of deposing its eggs in the cavity of bivalves (Unio). Feeds mainly on plants and to a lesser degree on worms, crustaceans, and insect larvae. Formerly used for pregnancy tests: females injected with urine from pregnant women protruded their ovipositors (Ref. 6258). Live span is exceptionally up to 5 years but most individuals do not survive the year of their first reproduction and population sizes fluctuate greatly over the years (Ref. 59043).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturità | Riproduzione | Deposizione | Uova | Fecundity | Larve

Spawns in clear, slow-running or still water, often with a muddy bottom. The presence of nearby freshwater mussels is of vital importance. Female deposits eggs within the valves of the mussel. Male sheds sperm into the inhalent current of the respiring mussel and thereby, fertilizes the eggs. Fry remain in the mussel until protection is not anymore required.

Main reference Upload your references | Bibliografia | Coordinatore | Collaboratori

Kottelat, M. and J. Freyhof, 2007. Handbook of European freshwater fishes. Publications Kottelat, Cornol and Freyhof, Berlin. 646 pp. (Ref. 59043)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 01 January 2008

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless




Human uses

Pesca: di nessun interesse; Acquario: Commerciale; esca: occasionally
FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |

Informazioni ulteriori

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Morfometria
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Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01047 (0.00781 - 0.01405), b=3.11 (3.05 - 3.17), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.0   ±0.34 se; based on food items.
Resilienza (Ref. 120179):  Basso, tempo minimo di raddoppiamento della popolazione 4.5 - 14 anni (tm=2; tmax=5; Fec=40).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate vulnerability (37 of 100).