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

THE GENUS LAKE MINNOW (LAKE MINNOW) EUPALLASELLA DYBOUSKI

The genus includes at least 11-14 species, represented by a single species in Ukraine. Previously considered a subgenus of the genus Phoxinus.

Lake minnow (Lake minnow) - Eupallasella percnurus

Morphological features: D III 6-7 (8); A III (5) 6-7; P I 12 14 (15); VI (6) 7; l. l. 0-51 (58, 60, 67, 69); in adults Squ (48) 52-87 (91), Squ1 (13) 14-17 (18), Squ2 (6) 7-11 (12-13); sp. br. (7) 8-9; d. f. predominantly 2.5-4.2. Maximum body length up to 7 cm, weight up to 5.6 g, lifespan up to 4 years (Fig. 41).

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Fig. 41. Lake minnow Eupallasella percnurus

The body is elongated, low, slightly compressed laterally, and covered with very small scales. The lateral line is incomplete, interrupted, and extends almost to the level of the anal fin base (in juveniles up to 3.5 cm long, it is usually completely absent). The belly between the pelvic and anal fins is rounded, without a keel. The back is dark, yellowish- or greenish-brown, the flanks are golden, and the belly is yellowish-silvery. The sides feature numerous, quite distinct dark spots. Paired fins are yellowish or yellowish-pink, while unpaired fins are grayish-yellow.

A non-commercial fish species, currently disappearing from many Water bodies. Listed on the IUCN Red List.

Distribution: closed freshwater bodies of the Arctic Ocean basins (from the Northern Dvina to the Kolyma) and the Sea of Okhotsk; the Anadyr, Suifen, Sakhalin, the Amur basin, and the basins of the Baltic Sea (lakes in the Vistula and Oder basins), the Caspian Sea (Middle Volga basin), and the Black Sea (lakes in the Upper and Middle Dnieper basins).

In Ukraine, it is known from the water bodies of the Upper and Middle Dnieper basins, particularly in the basins of the upper Pripyat, Desna, Oster, Trubizh, Vorskla, Supiy, Sozh, Stokhid, Zdvizh, as well as from now-vanished lakes in the vicinity of Kyiv; recently (14.10.2004), it was recorded in the Siverskyi Donets basin (Lake Borove). It is a rather rare, low-Abundance fish species. Listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine.



Last update: 07/08/2026

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