Mediterranean Barbel

Diagnosed from its congeners in Balkan Peninsula by having the following characters: last simple dorsal ray spinous, serrated posteriorly; usually 64-71 + 3-4 scales on lateral line; 15-20 scale rows between lateral and dorsal origin; 10-13 scale rows between lateral and pelvic origin; anterior scales of flank partly embedded in skin; head, body and fins with conspicuous black dots, smaller than pupil; caudal with a few small dots and without distinct black margin; lower lip with a median lobe in individuals larger than about 10 cm SL, a swollen pad in smaller ones; eye diameter 2.4-3.2 rimes in snout length; caudal peduncle depth 1.6-1.9 times in its length (Ref. 59043).

Dorsal soft rays (total): 8

Inhabits streams and rivers, preferring stretches with clear water and riffles (Ref. 59043).

Barbus cyclolepis, the round-scaled barbel, is a freshwater fish species in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey. Its natural habitats are rivers and intermittent rivers. It is not considered a threatened species by the IUCN.

A broader concept of Barbus cyclolepis would include in the same species several other barbel taxa that others consider distinct species, i.e. Barbus sperchiensis (Sprechios barbel), Barbus strumicae (Strumica barbel) and Barbus waleckii (Vistula barbel). B. waleckii has however also been suggested to be a hybridogenic species, perhaps derived from common barbel B. barbus and B. carpathicus.