FISHES OF THE FAMILY CYPRINIDAE IN THE WATER BODIES OF UKRAINE - V. V. Zamorov - 2015

GENUS BITTERLING - RHODEUS AGASSIZ

Body deep, laterally compressed, covered with large scales (32-40 in a transverse row). Lateral line incomplete. Pharyngeal Teeth uniserial, 5-5 (other variations also occur, such as 5-4, 4-5, etc.), laterally compressed, robust, unserrated. Mouth small, slightly oblique, subterminal, without barbels, lower jaw crescent-shaped. Suborbital bones relatively broad. Dorsal fin elongated, with 8-11 branched rays, originating slightly behind the Base of the pelvic fins, without a spine (its last unbranched ray may be quite robust). Anal fin originating anterior to the vertical of the end of the dorsal fin, without a spine, with (7) 8-10 branched rays. Body Abdominal cavity black. Digestive tract long (1.3-6.8 times the body length). Vertebrae (30-31) 32-37 (38-39).

Eighteen species are known in Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, the Amur River basin, Manchuria, the Korean Peninsula, China, and Japan. One species is found in Ukraine.

European bitterling - Rhodeus amarus (Bloch)

Morphological features: D III 8-10; A III (7) 8-10; P I (9) 10-13 (14); V I 5-7 (8); l. l. (0-2) 3-8 (9-11); Squ (32) 34-38 (39); Squ₁ 6, Squ₂ 4; vert. (30, 31) 32-37 (38-39), sp. br. (8) 9-13 (14); d. f. 6 - 5 (0.3%), 5-6 (0.3%), 5-5 (81.1%), 5-4 (9.1%), 4-5 (7.6%), 2-5 (0.3%), 4-4 (0.8%), 4-3 (0.3%), 3-3 (0.3%). Maximum length 7.5 cm, mass 10.8 g, lifespan about 6 years (Fig. 40).

Body relatively short, moderately compressed laterally, deep. Its maximum body depth averages 31.2-36.6% of the body length and is always more than three times the minimum body depth. Dorsal profile strongly convex, ventral profile smoothly convex. Back and belly almost not laterally compressed. Caudal peduncle averages 21.8-24.5% of the body length. Dorsal fin truncated straight, fairly long and high; anal fin usually truncated straight, sometimes with a slight notch. Paired and caudal fins rounded, the latter with a distinct notch, with upper and lower lobes usually equal in size.

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Fig. 40. European bitterling Rhodeus amarus

Dorsal fin originating slightly behind the vertical of the Water/144.html">Origin of the pelvic fins, anal fin located below the sixth branched ray of the dorsal fin. The first hard rays in the dorsal and anal fins are very small, almost rudimentary, usually concealed beneath the scales. Pectoral fins extend past half the distance between the pectoral and pelvic fins. An elongated scale is typically present at the outer base of the pelvic fins. Scales large, densely covering the entire body. Lateral line always short, occasionally interrupted by one to three scales, rarely entirely absent. HEAD small, slightly compressed laterally, its length generally exceeding the length of the upper lobe of the caudal fin on average. Snout short, blunt, usually shorter than the eye diameter. Mouth very small, subterminal, slightly oblique, almost crescent-shaped. Its upper corner is located below the level of the middle of the eye. Eyes moderate in size. Forehead fairly broad, flat, sometimes slightly convex. Gill rakers relatively short, thick, densely set close to one another. Pharyngeal teeth robust, uniserial, laterally compressed, unserrated, with a small

hook at the tip. Body abdominal cavity black. The exceptionally long intestine varies in length across different water bodies in Ukraine, ranging from 132.5 to 627.7% of the body length.

In Ukraine, it is distributed in the basins of all major rivers, in reservoirs, and lakes. Absent in Crimea and mountain rivers.