Phoxinus csikii Hankó, 1922

Denys, Gaël P. J., Dettai, Agnès, Persat, Henri, Daszkiewicz, Piotr, Hautecoeur, Mélyne & Keith, Philippe, 2020, Revision of Phoxinus in France with the description of two new species (Teleostei, Leuciscidae), Cybium 44 (3), pp. 205-238 : 213-214

Phoxinus csikii Hankó, 1922 ( Fig. 5 )

Phoxinus csikii Hankó, 1922: 1 , pl. 1 (figs 1-3) (type locality: Ibar River, a tributary to the Zapadna Morava River, a tributary of the Danube, Montenegro).

Material examined

MNHN 2014-2801 , 4 m, 6 f, 49.5-61.9 mm SL; France: Thur Stream, Staffefelden, 47°49.4’N, 7°15.1’E, alt. 252 m. MNHN 2011- 0899 , 1 m, 1 f, 50.9-57.0 mm SL; France: Rupt de Mad Stream, Essey-et-Maizerais, 48°49.2’N, 5°48.5’E, alt. 228 m. MNHN 2014-2739 , 9, 55.4-71.4 SL; France: Eichel Stream, Voeller- dingen, 48°57.5’N, 7°08.9’E, alt. 219 m .

Material used for molecular analysis

MNHN 2014-2801 , 3, tag 1981-1983; France: Thur Stream, Staffefelden, 47°49.4’N, 7°15.1’E, alt. 252 m. (COI: GenBank accession numbers: MT975740 - MT975742 , 12S: GenBank accession numbers: MT975369 - MT975371 ). MNHN 2014-2739 , 1, tag 1976; France: Eichel Stream, Voellerdingen, 48°57.5’N, 7°08.9’E, alt. 219 m. (COI: GenBankaccessionnumber: MT975737 ) .

Diagnosis

Phoxinus csikii is distinguished from the other French Phoxinus species by its unique nuptial colour pattern. The male has green Z3 and Z4 (vs. yellow), and a shiny red belly between the pectoral fin bases and the caudal fin origin (vs. black or white) ( Fig. 5A, B, D ). The female is diagnosed by a slim golden Z3 and Z4 (vs. silver, greyish or greenish) below the black stripe ( Fig. 5C, E ). Phoxinus csikii is distinguished from P. bigerri by having 79-94 scales along the lateral series (vs. 68-87), a subterminal mouth (vs. terminal or slightly subterminal), and a narrower caudal peduncle (caudal peduncle depth 2.5-4.0 times in its length vs. 2.1-3.4).

The nuptial male P. csikii are distinguished from nuptial male P. bigerri by having a brownish Z1 (vs. black), green Z3 and Z4 (vs. yellow golden), a shiny red belly (vs. greyish to black), red lips (vs. pinkish), yellow pectoral and pelvic fins (vs. orange), and red pectoral, pelvic and anal fin origins (vs. pinkish). The nuptial female is distinguished by having a black stripe along Z3 (vs. no stripe), Z4 slim golden (vs. greyish), and little contrasting blackish bars reaching from from Z1 to Z2 (vs. very contrasting black bars reaching from Z2 to Z4).

Nuptial colouration

Male. – Lips and pectoral, pelvic and anal fin bases red, these fins yellow. Snout and top of head dark brown. Ablack bar on operculum reaching from top of head to branchiostegal rays. Cheeks white to grey. Operculum with a white spot at uppermost, posterior corner. Ayellow spot on the supraoperculum. Z1 and Z2 dark brown overlaid with blackish bars. Z3 and Z4 green, reaching to caudal-peduncle origin. Blackish bars present on caudal peduncle. A slim blackish stripe sometimes fractioned in blotches along Z3 in some individuals, absent in others. Z5 black between pectoral fin and anal fin base. Belly shiny red between pectoral- and cau- dal fin base ( Fig. 5A, B, D ).

Female. – Less brightly coloured, Z1 and Z2 brownish, a black stripe along Z3, Z4 slim and golden, Z5 white or sil- very and belly white ( Fig. 5C, E ).

Molecular characterization

On the COI marker, P. csikii has 12 diagnostic sites, including eight synapomorphies (Tab. II). For the 12S rDNA marker, nine diagnostic sites characterise this species: T (vs. C) in position 27, A (vs. G) in position 62, A (vs. Gor C) in position 122, A (vs. G) in position 215, A (vs. G) in position 274, G (vs. A) in position 388, A (vs. Gor C) in position 412, T (vs. C) in position 450 and G (vs. A) in position 522.

Distribution

P. csikii occurs in the Danube drainage from the Balkans to Germany as well as in the upper Rhine drainage (regionally introduced in the lower Rhine) ( Fig. 1 ) west to Lake Geneva basin ( Palandačić et al., 2017; Denys and Manné, 2019).

Vernacular name

Danubian minnow (English), Vairon du Danube (French).

Figures

Figure 1. – Records of Phoxinus used in this study. Coloured squares represent the six species delineated in this study: P. phoxinus (blue), P. bigerri (red), P. csikii (green), P. septimaniae (yellow), P. dragarum (purple), and P. fayollarum (orange).

Figure 5. – Phoxinus csikii in the Rhine catchment: m from the Thur Stream, Staffefelden 47°49.4’N, 7°15.2’E, MNHN 2014-2801 (A) and in the Lake Geneva basin (from Lunel and Lunel, 1874) (B); f from the Eichel Stream, Voellerdingen 48°57.6’N, 7°08.9’E; MNHN 2014-2739 (C); nuptial colouration pattern for male (D) and female (E).