''Lepidomeda'' is a genus of

cyprinid 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 ...

fish, commonly known as the spinedaces, found in western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Of the four known species, one is extinct and two are threatened. They appear to be fairly close to the leatherside chub and the spikedaces (genus ''

Meda Meda may refer to: Places * Meda de Mouros, a parish in Tábua Municipality, Portugal * Medas, a parish in Gondomar Municipality, Portugal * Meda-Ela, Sri Lanka * Međa (Leskovac), village in the municipality of Leskovac, Serbia * Meda, Lombardy ...

''), but the

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spec ...

and indeed the validity of the proposed "plagopterin"

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

is insufficiently resolved.(Simons & Mayden 1997).

Species

The genus contains these species: * ''Lepidomeda albivallis''

R. R. Miller Robert Rush Miller (April 23, 1916 – February 10, 2003) "was an important figure in American ichthyology and conservation from 1940 to the 1990s." He was born in Colorado Springs, earned his bachelor's degree at University of California, Berke ...

& C. L. Hubbs, 1960 (

White River spinedace The White River spinedace (''Lepidomeda albivallis'') is a critically endangered cyprinid fish of Nevada, occurring only in the White River in the southeastern part of the state. This spindace ranges from green to olive above, a brassy silver o ...

) * ''Lepidomeda aliciae'' (

Jouy Jouy may refer to: Communes in France * Jouy, Eure-et-Loir, in the Eure-et-Loir ''département'' *Jouy, Yonne, in the Yonne ''département'' *Jouy-aux-Arches, in the Moselle ''département'' *Jouy-en-Argonne, in the Meuse ''département'' *Jouy-en ...

, 1881)

southern leatherside chub The southern leatherside chub (''Lepidomeda aliciae'') is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish from the family Cyprinidae, the carps and minnows. It is endemic to Utah in the United States. It is found in slow-flowing pools and backwaters, usu ...

* ''Lepidomeda copei''(

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South ...

, 1881)

northern leatherside chub The northern leatherside chub (''Lepidomeda copei'') is a cyprinid fish of western North America. This is a small fish, reported at up to 15 cm (6 in) in length, but more typically half that. The tapered body is covered with very small ...

* †''Lepidomeda altivelis'' R. R. Miller & C. L. Hubbs, 1960 (

Pahranagat spinedace The Pahranagat spinedace, ''Lepidomeda altivelis'', is an extinct fish that originally inhabited the Pahranagat Valley in Nevada, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) ...

) * ''Lepidomeda mollispinis'' R. R. Miller & C. L. Hubbs, 1960 (

virgin spinedace The Virgin spinedace (Lepidomeda mollispinis) is a cyprinid fish of the Virgin River, a tributary of the Colorado River in the United States. Description This spinedace is overall silvery in color, with a brassy sheen and a pattern of sooty blot ...

) * ''Lepidomeda vittata''

Cope The cope (known in Latin as ''pluviale'' 'rain coat' or ''cappa'' 'cape') is a liturgical vestment, more precisely a long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colours, litu ...

, 1874 (

Little Colorado spinedace The Little Colorado spinedace (''Lepidomeda vittata'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found only in Arizona in the United States. Description The Little Colorado spinedace is small, generally less than 10 ...

)

References

* {{Leuciscinae-stub