Cyprinidae

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 87-90

Family Cyprinidae

Barbels and carps

Cyprinids are the most speciose fish family, with about 1800 species recognised worldwide. In our region, 124 species have been identified. In West Asia, true cyprinids come in five evolutionary lineages and a variety of body shapes and ecological groups. True barbels of the genera Barbus , Luciobarbus , Capoeta , and Cyprinion are distinguished by having a serrated posterior margin of the last branched dorsal ray.True barbels are most diverse in West Asia and Europe. Labeonines of the genera Garra , Tariqilabeo , and Bangana have a horny sheath on the lower jaw, often a complicated, strongly modified mouth morphology,and a smooth posterior margin of the last branched dorsal ray. Labeonines are a diverse group of fishes, being widespread and speciose,especially in tropical Asia and Africa. Yellowfishes or Torini of the genera Arabibarbus , Carasobarbus , Mesopotamichthys , and most likely also unstudied Caecocypris , form a third independent evolutionary lineage. They have large, shield-shaped scales and a smooth posterior margin of the last branched dorsal ray. Along with the African genera Acapoeta , Pterocapoeta , Labeobarbus (including Varicorhinus and Sanagia ) and several South Asian genera, Torini forms a well-supported monophyletic group. Carps of the genera Carassius and Cyprinus have an exceptionally long dorsal fin and a serrated posterior margin of the last branched dorsal ray. Carps are moderately diverse, especially in China, and all but two species found in West Asia are non-native to

the region. The last evolutionary lineage is represented by snow barbels, which are split into two phylogenetic groups that are not each other’s closest relatives, both found in Iran. The Schizothoracines include the genus Schizothorax and several others in the high mountains of Asia, as well as the Schizopygopsines, which include Schizopygopsis and several other Asian mountain genera.

In Cyprinidae , the different structures around the mouth are essential for genus diagnosis. These include the rostral cap, the upper and lower lips, the upper and lower jaws, and the barbels. They vary in development or may be absent in different genera. The rostral cap is the fleshy tissue at the tip of the snout. The rostral groove separates the rostral cap from the upper lip. In several genera, the rostral cap develops into a pendulous fold that partly or completely covers the upper lip and the upper jaw. In such cases, the upper lip may be missing. The lower lip is separated from the skin of the throat by a postlabial groove.This groove is usually interrupted in the middle. In some species with fleshy lips, the median part may be hypertrophied and folded backward into a pendulous lobe. A cornified tissue with an anterior cutting edge may cover the lower jaw. In such cases,the lower jaw is often exposed, and the lower lip is restricted to the sides of the jaw.Most species of the genus Garra have a prominent gular disc posterior to the lower jaw. It is important to note that Labeonines have no lower lip. Further reading. Yang et al. 2015 (phylogeny).

Open Access. © 2025 JÖrg Freyhof, Baran Yoğurtçuoğlu, Arash Jouladeh-Roudbar and Cüneyt Kaya, published by De Gruyter. the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111677811-014

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10a – 6–7½ branched anal rays; 12–17½ branched dorsal 14a - A gular disc behind lower jaw, usually labrum with rays. free margin,margins fused with skin of throat in G. elegans . ……………… Cyprinion ……………… Garra (in part)

10b - 5½ branched anal rays; 7–9½ branched dorsal rays. 14b - No gular disc behind lower jaw. ………………11 ………………15

11a - Lower lip absent or widely interrupted, lower jaw 15a - 29–34 total scales in lateral series, lower jaw round, with a sharp-edged horny sheath. without cutting edge; prominent lateral papillate pad on ……………… Capoeta lower jaw.

11b - Lower lip with a fleshy lobe in middle, if inter- ……………… Garra (in part) rupted, lower jaw without sharp-edged horny sheath. 15b - 34–38 total scales in lateral series; lower jaw almost ………………12 straight, with a sharp cutting edge; no lateral papillate pad on lower jaw.

12a - Body and fins covered with distinctive small black ……………… Tariqilabeo or dark-brown spots, many species with irregularly shaped brown blotches; nuptial tubercles very small, 16a - Rostral cap with a deep lateral groove (labial fold); sand-like all over head. lower lip absent. ……………… Barbus and Luciobarbus subquincunciatus ……………… Bangana

12b - In adults larger than 150 mm SL, body uniform 16b - Rostral cap without lateral groove; lower lip often yellowish, brown or grey, without dark-brown or black with a fleshy lobe or interrupted in middle, but well blotches, sometimes with a faith lateral stripe; few, large developed at its margins. nuptial tubercles on snout. ………………17 ……………… Luciobarbus

17a - 6½ branched anal rays; 9−11½ branched dorsal

13a - Upper lip very narrow, almost completely reduced, rays; body depth usually 25−40 % SL. hidden under rostral cap. ……………… Carasobarbus ………………14 17b - 5½ branched anal rays; usually 8½ branched dorsal

13b - Upper lip well developed, separated from skin of rays; body depth usually 18−26 % SL. snout. ……………… Arabibarbus ………………16

Arabibarbus grypus ; Tigris, Türkiye; 450 mm SL.

Arabibarbus arabicus ; Wadi Maur, Yemen; 106 mm SL.© F. Krupp.