First records of the Vettonian spined loach Cobitis vettonica in Portugal with update on its Iberian distribution

Anabel Perdices, Maria Manuela Coelho

FiSHMED 2020.002: 15p

Abstract : The Iberian Peninsula represents a Mediterranean reserve for native freshwater fishes. Isolated from Central European drainages since the Miocene, approximately 80% of the native Iberian ichthyofauna is endemic. In this study, we report the Vettonian spined loach, Cobitis vettonica Doadrio & Perdices, 1997, also known as the Alagón spined loach, for the first time in Portugal. During an ichthyological survey of major Portuguese drainages, we found C. vettonica specimens in ten localities along three right tributaries of the Tagus River in Portugal: Erges, Aravil and Ponsul. All three Portuguese rivers are adjacent to the Alagón River in Spain (the type locality of C. vettonica). We found C. vettonica in sympatry with the related species C. paludica in six of the ten localities. Cobitis vettonica is listed as Endangered on the Spanish Red List, making it crucial to define its status in Portuguese waters.

Keywords : Alagón spined loach, distribution, endangered species, endemic species, Iberian Peninsula

Citation : Perdices A, Coelho MM (2020) First records of the Vettonian spined loach Cobitis vettonica in Portugal with update on its Iberian distribution. Fishes in Mediterranean Environments 2020.002: 15p. https://doi.org/10.29094/FiSHMED.2020.002

Article first published online : 12 August 2020

FiSHMED is an international scientific journal edited by 
the Iberian Society of Ichthyology – SIBIC