Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 13, 2026

Squalius

Squalius is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, the daces, Eurasian minnows and related fishes. The fishes in this genus are found in Europe and Asia. Hybridization is not rare in the Leuciscidae, including this genus. S. alburnoides is known to be of ancient hybrid origin, with the paternal lineage deriving from a prehistoric species related to Anaecypris; the latter mated with ancestral S. pyrenaicus. Present-day S. alburnoides mates with sympatric congeners of other species.

Last revised
Jun 13, 2026
Read time
≈ 3 min
Length
576 w
Citations
3
Source
Squalius
Squalius carolitertii
Squalius pyrenaicus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Leuciscidae
Subfamily: Leuciscinae
Genus: Squalius
Bonaparte, 1837
Type species
Leuciscus squalus
Bonaparte, 1837
Synonyms

Cephalopsis Fitzinger, 1873
Iberocypris Doadrio, 1980
Microlepis Bonaparte, 1846

Squalius is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, the daces, Eurasian minnows and related fishes. The fishes in this genus are found in Europe and Asia.1 Hybridization is not rare in the Leuciscidae, including this genus. S. alburnoides is known to be of ancient hybrid origin, with the paternal lineage deriving from a prehistoric species related to Anaecypris; the latter mated with ancestral S. pyrenaicus. Present-day S. alburnoides mates with sympatric congeners of other species.2

Species

These are the currently recognized species in this genus:3

References

References

  1. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Squalius". FishBase. October 2016 version.
  2. Collares-Pereira, M.J. & Coelho, M.M. (2010): Reconfirming the hybrid origin and generic status of the Iberian cyprinid complex Squalius alburnoides. Journal of Fish Biology, 76 (3): 707–715.
  3. Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Squalius". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 5 May 2025.