The giant Atlas barbel (''Labeobarbus reinii'') was a

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Cyprinidae Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest verte ...

. It is now thought to be

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

. It does seem to be fairly close to the core group around the typical

barbel Barbel may refer to: *Barbel (anatomy), a whisker-like organ near the mouth found in some fish (notably catfish, loaches and cyprinids) and turtles *Barbel (fish), a common name for certain species of fish **''Barbus barbus'', a species of cyprinid ...

s (''Barbus'', ''

Luciobarbus ''Luciobarbus'' is a genus of ray-finned fishes in the family Cyprinidae. Its members are found in fresh and brackish waters of southern Europe, northern Africa, the wider Near East, the Aral and Caspian Seas, and rivers associated with these. ...

'' and '' Messinobarbus''). But it is closer still to ''

Carasobarbus ''Carasobarbus'', the himris, is a small genus of ray-finned fishes in the family Cyprinidae. Its species are found in rivers, streams, lakes and ponds in Western Asia and Northwest Africa. ''C. canis'' can reach in total length, but most other ...

'' and the

yellowfish ''Labeobarbus'' is a mid-sized ray-finned fish genus in the family Cyprinidae. Its species are widely distributed throughout eastern Africa and especially southern Africa, but also in Lake Tana in Ethiopia. A common name, in particular for the s ...

(''Labeobarbus''), and either is a lineage of the former, or part of a distinct genus, or included in the latter (maybe together with the former). Initially classified in the genus ''Barbus'', it was transferred to the genus ''

Labeobarbus ''Labeobarbus'' is a mid-sized ray-finned fish genus in the family Cyprinidae. Its species are widely distributed throughout eastern Africa and especially southern Africa, but also in Lake Tana in Ethiopia. A common name, in particular for th ...

'' in 2010. The specific name honours the

geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...

, author and traveler

Johannes Justus Rein Johannes Justus Rein (27 January 1835 in Raunheim, near Giessen – 23 January 1918 in Bonn) was a German geographer, author and traveler in East Asia. On the title page of each of his books, his name is given as either J.J. Rein or Johann J. ...

(1835-1918), who, with

Karl von Fritsch Karl Wilhelm Georg von Fritsch (11 November 1838, in Weimar – 9 January 1906) was a German geologist and paleontologist. He studied forestry at the academy in Eisenach, followed by studies in natural sciences at the University of Göttingen, whe ...

, collected the type from the Tensift River in Morocco. It was

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

, where its natural

habitats In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

were the Kasab and

Tensift River Tensift (Berber: Tansift) is a river in central Morocco. It originates in the eastern High Atlas, receiving water from many tributaries in the region. It passes close to the city of Marrakesh and has its outlet into the Atlantic Ocean at the ancie ...

s. The species was once plentiful,

water pollution Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. Water ...

(particularly with

domestic waste Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste, a ...

) and unsustainable water extraction (particularly for

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

) have caused it to suffer declines, and was last seen in 2001. It was reclassified as extinct by the IUCN in 2022.

References

reinii Endemic fauna of Morocco Taxa named by Albert Günther Fish described in 1874 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Cyprininae-stub