Valencia toothcarp

The Valencia hispanica or Valencia toothcarp (Valencian: samaruc) is a species of freshwater fish in the family Valenciidae endemic to the south of Catalonia and the Valencian Community, Spain. There is at least one historical record of this species from near Perpignan in France but the species has been extirpated from that country.[2]

Valencia toothcarp
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Valenciidae
Genus: Valencia
Species:
V. hispanica
Binomial name
Valencia hispanica
(Valenciennes, 1846)
Synonyms[2]
  • Hydrargyra hispanica Valenciennes, 1846
  • Fundulus hispanicus (Valenicennes, 1846)
Samaruc habitat, a brackish pond at the mouth of the Torrent del Pi in L'Ametlla de Mar.

Its natural habitat are marshes, freshwater springs, coastal freshwater lagoons and acequias which may connect these. It is threatened by pollution and habitat loss.

Description

It is a small fish of a light brown to yellow colour. Adult males oscillate between 4–8 cm and can be distinguished from females in that the rim of their fins is orangish. Also, females are slightly larger than their male counterparts of the same age.

It is a gregarious fish forming small shoals. The species is carnivorous, feeding on insects, larvae, worms, etc.

Conservation status

Valencia toothcarp is listed as an endangered species by Spanish and international legislation. Its populations dwindled as a result of land reclamation, a phenomenon quite intense in Valencia during the 1980s as a part of the touristic boom. The increased human population which followed also brought increased pollution and introduced species, both factors further damaging the samaruc populations.[1]

It has been recently object of a conservation and reintroduction program carried out by the Environment department of the Valencian regional government which has sought to reverse further declines.[3]

See also

References
  1. Crivelli, A.J. (2006). "Valencia hispanica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2006: e.T22829A9392487. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2006.RLTS.T22829A9392487.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Valencia hispanica" in FishBase. April 2019 version.
  3. Centro de Acuicultura Experimental (in Spanish)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.