 |
| Barbatula fluvicola Barbatula ommata Calegari, Freyhof, Waldock, Wegscheider, Josi, Rüber & Seehausen, 2025 |
Abstract
Ten species of Barbatula are recognised in Europe, west of the Urals: B. barbatula, B. caucasica, B. hispanica, B. leoparda, B. pironae, B. quignardi, B. sturanyi, B. taurica, B. vardarensis and B. zetensis, with B. caucasica and B. taurica formerly considered subspecies of B. barbatula. A comprehensive dataset of the DNA barcoding gene coI recovered four major clades within Europe: three in Eastern Europe including B. caucasica, B. pironae, B. sturanyi, B. taurica, B. vardarensis and B. zetensis, and one in Western Europe including B. barbatula, B. hispanica and B. leoparda. The results further indicated several genetic lineages, representing potentially new species. Recent surveys in Switzerland revealed two new species of Barbatula, within the Western clade, which are herein described. Barbatula fluvicola, a new species, inhabits streams and rivers in the upper and middle Rhine drainage in Switzerland and Germany, as well as the upper Danube drainage in Germany and Austria. Barbatula ommata, a new species, is mostly confined to lakes of the Aare-Rhine system. The two new species overlap geographically in Switzerland, where they occupy different habitats. Morphological differences, species delimitation analyses, phylogenetic reconstruction and genetic distances based on the coI gene corroborates the recognition of the two new species. To stabilise the nomenclatural status and the consequent use of the nomen B. barbatula, we are herein designating an unambiguously identifiable neotype from the Lez River population, previously recognised as B. quignardi, to clarify the identity of the nominal species Cobitis barbatula Linnaeus, 1758.
Keywords: biodiversity, Danube River, European fishes, freshwater lakes, Rhine River, systematics
 |
| Live coloration of Barbatula fluvicola, NMBE 1111057, Thur River, Rhine drainage, Switzerland. Type locality of Barbatula fluvicola at Glane River (a) and B. ommata at Lake Neuchatel (b), both water systems from Rhine drainage. |
Barbatula fluvicola, new species
Etymology. The name fluvicola is from Latin meaning inhabitant of rivers, alluding to the stream preference habitats where this species has been collected. A noun in apposition.
Vernacular name. North-Prealpine Stone Loach (English),
Nord-Voralpine Bartgrundel (German),
Loche Préalpes du Nord (French).
Barbatula ommata, new species
Etymology. Barbatula ommata from the Greek ómmata (ὄμματα) for eyes, and is given in reference to the species diagnostic great diameter of its eyes. A noun in apposition.
Vernacular name. Lake Stone Loach (English),
Seebartgrundel (German),
Loche du Lac (French).
Bárbara B. Calegari, Jörg Freyhof, Conor Waldock, Bernhard Wegscheider, Dario Josi, Lukas Rüber, Ole Seehausen. 2025. Two New Species of Stone Loaches of the Genus Barbatula (Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae) from Europe with a neotype designation of B. barbatula (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae). Journal of Fish Biology. DOI: doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70108 [02 July 2025]
