Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 4, 2026

Valencia (fish)

Valencia is the only extant genus in the family Valenciidae. Valencia is a genus of ray-finned fishes. It was formerly grouped into the family Cyprinodontidae, but more recent studies support it being its own family most closely related to the Aphaniidae. Members of this genus are restricted to southern Europe.

Last revised
Jul 4, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
371 w
Citations
9
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Valencia
Temporal range:
Valencia hispanica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Suborder: Cyprinodontoidei
Family: Valenciidae
Parenti, 1981
Genus: Valencia
G. S. Myers, 1928
Type species
Hydrargyra hispanica
Valenciennes, 1846

Valencia is the only extant genus in the family Valenciidae.1 Valencia is a genus of ray-finned fishes. It was formerly grouped into the family Cyprinodontidae, but more recent studies support it being its own family most closely related to the Aphaniidae.23 Members of this genus are restricted to southern Europe.4

Taxonomy

There are currently three recognized species in Valencia:45

Fossil specimen of Prolebias, an extinct valenciid source ↗

The Valenciidae were formerly a much more diverse lineage in prehistoric times (Paleogene to mid-Neogene). The following fossil genera are also known:6

  • †Aphanolebias Reichenbacher & Gaudant, 2003
  • †Francolebias Costa, 2012
  • †Miovalencia Mainero, Vasilyan & Reichenbacher, 2024
  • †Prolebias Sauvage, 1874
  • †Wilsonilebias Mainero, Vasilyan & Reichenbacher, 2024

This group has a rich fossil record dating to the Early Oligocene. Their evolution was driven by shifts in the Mediterranean and the Paratethys Seas.6

References

References

  1. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Valenciidae". FishBase. February 2014 version.
  2. Myers, P.; R. Espinosa; C. S. Parr; T. Jones; G. S. Hammond; T. A. Dewey (2008). "Genus Valencia". The Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (online). Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  3. Bragança, Pedro H. N.; Amorim, Pedro F.; Costa, Wilson J. E. M. (2018-02-09). "Pantanodontidae (Teleostei, Cyprinodontiformes), the sister group to all other cyprinodontoid killifishes as inferred by molecular data". Zoosystematics and Evolution. 94 (1): 137–145. doi:10.3897/zse.94.22173. ISSN 1860-0743.
  4. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Valencia". FishBase. February 2014 version.
  5. Freyhof, J., Kärst, H. & Geiger, M. (2014): Valencia robertae, a new killifish from southern Greece (Cyprinodontiformes: Valenciidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 24 (4) [2013]: 289-298.
  6. Herbert Mainero, Andrea; Vasilyan, Davit; Reichenbacher, Bettina (2024-12-31). "Two new genera of killifish (Cyprinodontiformes) from the Middle Miocene of the Bugojno Basin, Bosnia and Herzegovina: insights into the lost diversity of Valenciidae". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 22 (1) 2412539. Bibcode:2024JSPal..2212539H. doi:10.1080/14772019.2024.2412539. ISSN 1477-2019.
External links