Luciobarbus capito (Guldenstadt, 1773)

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 232-233

Luciobarbus capito

Common name. Bulatmai barbel.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Luciobarbus in Caspian basin and Hari drainage by: ○ 52–72 (usually 60–66) total lateral-line scales / ○ 13–15 gill rakers / ○ upper part of body dark-brown, lower part yellow in life in large individuals / ○ lower lip thin, without median lobe or pad / ○ 8½ branched dorsal rays / ○ back between head and dorsal origin laterally compressed, forming a keel / ○ predorsal length longer than postdorsal length / ○ dorsal moderately long, 13–14 % of body depth in individuals of about 400 mm SL. Size up to about 920 mm SL and 16 kg.

Distribution. Caspian basin: tributaries of western and southern coasts, from Volga south to Atrak ( Iran). Always very rare in Volga. Introduced in Jaj reservoir in Namak Lake basin ( Iran).

Habitat. Resident populations mostly in large to medium-sized rivers, often also in reservoirs. At sea, usually near coast. Forages in estuaries. Spawns in lowland streams and rivers on sand-gravel bottoms, usually in strong currents.

Biology. Semi-anadromous and resident individuals and populations. Spawns first time at 3−7 years, females later than males, above 200 mm SL. Spawns April−August. Males spawn every year, some females annually, others apparently every 2−3 years. Semi-anadromous populations begin migration in late summer-autumn and spawn in next spring, but some enter rivers in early spring and spawn in same year. Migrates to uppermost tributaries of rivers. Non-anadromous populations migrate to upper reaches of tributaries just

before spawning or spawn in lakes and reservoirs on sandy to muddy bottoms. Larvae feed on zooplankton and small benthic invertebrates. Juveniles and adults feed on invertebrates, algae, detritus, plant material, and small fish.

Conservation status. VU; resident populations still widespread, but abundance greatly reduced due to overfishing. Semi-anadromous populations are now very rare due to dam constructions. Terek and Kura were major spawning rivers for anadromous fish. Very rare in Terek today. Decline expected to continue due to increasing hydropower development, overfishing in estuaries, and many strong ecological impacts on the Caspian basin.

Further reading. Kazancheyev 1981 (biology); Bogutskaya et al. 2003a (description, biology); Kaya et al. 2020a (distribution); Coad 2021a (biology, morphology).

Luciobarbus conocephalus ; Hari, Iran; ~ 250 mm SL.