| Cyprinidae (Minnows or carps), subfamily: Barbinae |
| 22.6 cm SL (male/unsexed) |
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benthopelagic; freshwater, |
| Africa: north Morocco, from Loukos River basin on the western Atlantic slope to the Laou River basin on the eastern Mediterranean slope (Ref. 107580). |
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Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-12; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 8-8; Vertebrae: 41-42. Diagnosis: Luciobarbus rifensis differs from other species of Luciobarbus by the following combination of characters: 42-46 scales on the lateral line, 8.5-9.5 scales above lateral line, and 3.5-5.5 scales below lateral line; insertions of dorsal fin and ventral fin were situated similarly on the body or the insertion of the dorsal fin is lightly anterior to the ventral fin origin; last single fin ray is ossified and denticulated along its length; the denticulations at mid-height of the ray are shorter than the ray width; in adult specimens, the lower lip is well developed with retracted medial lobe revealing the dentary; the ethmoid bone is wider than long; vertebrae 41-42; and 10-15 gill rakers (Ref. 107580).
Description: A medium-sized species that rarely reaches 500 mm; the body is short and deep in comparison with other Luciobarbus species with maximum body depth 22-28% of standard length (Ref. 107580). The head is large with respect to the body with head length 23.2-27.8% of standard length; circumorbital bones are narrow; the barbels were long with the first barbel not reaching the anterior edge of the eye; the second barbel usually extended to the posterior edge of the eye, but did not reach the preopercle; in females, the first barbel is 14.5-36% of head length and the second 20-40.3% of head length; the lips are thick with the inferior usually retracted in adults making the dentary bone visible; some specimens do not exhibit inferior lip retraction and show well developed lips; the lacrimal bone has a short manubrium; the eye is placed anteriorly in the head; preorbital length is 7.1-10.6% of standard length, and postorbital length is 10.2-12.5% of standard length; the snout is characteristically rounded; the iris is yellow pigmented at the superior border but is less conspicuous than in other species of Luciobarbus; the jugal spacious closes at the same vertical plane of the eye and from 11-12 pores were present in the inferior branch of the preopercular (Ref. 107580). The dorsal fin was located posterior on the body, with the predorsal distance being 51.2-55.9% of standard length; dorsal fin with 4 unbranched and 8 branched rays; the profile of the dorsal fin was slightly concave, and presents the last single ray strongly ossified and denticulated; anal fin with 3 unbranched and 5 branched rays; pectoral fin with 1 unbranched and 15-16 branched rays; pelvic fin with 1 unbranched ad 8 branched rays; the pectoral and ventral fins are longer in males, and the anal fin is longer in females; ventral fins are inserted in the same vertical plane as the origin of the dorsal fin or slightly posterior to the dorsal fin; the length of the caudal fin is 14.9-26.5% of standard length (Ref. 107580). Scales on lateral line number 42-46; 8.5-9.5 scales above lateral line; 3.5-5.5 scales below lateral line (Ref. 107580). The caudal peduncle is high and short with a height of 32.6-39% of standard length; the height of the caudal peduncle is 1.2 to 2 times the length of the anal peduncle (Ref. 107580). The skull is long and narrow with a wide ethmoid bone; infraorbitals are narrow with a large lacrimal bone; the basioccipital plate is triangular; the palatine process of maxilla is small; the superior branch of the pharyngeal bone forms a closed angle with respect to inferior branch (Ref. 107580). Pharyngeal teeth in adults 4.3.2-4.3.2 (Ref. 107580).
Colouration: The colouration of Luciobarbus rifensis is brown-yellowish with darker fins, with the body becoming progressively paler in the ventral region; juveniles present black blotches (Ref. 107580). |
| This species is ubiquitous and inhabits streams and rivers with substrata ranging from sandy to stony, being absent only in small streams near the sources of rivers and in shallow waters; it is also present in reservoirs (Ref. 107580). The spawning period is variable, but usually takes place in April and May; the species migrates upstream to spawn in cold and oxygenated waters where the females excavate a nest in the gravel (Ref. 107580). It is a common species; however, its distribution area has been extensively transformed due to construction of dams, which also hamper upstream migration during the spawning period (Ref. 107580). |
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Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 17 May 2021 Ref. (130435)
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| harmless |
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