''Scardinius'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of freshwater
ray-finned fishes belonging to the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Leuciscidae
Leuciscidae is a family of freshwater ray-finned fishes, formerly classified as a subfamily of the Cyprinidae, which contains the true minnows.
Members of the Old World (OW) clade of minnows within this subfamily are known as European minnow ...
, which includes the daces, Eurasian minnows and related species. The fishes in this genus are commonly called rudds. Locally, the name "rudd" without any further qualifiers is also used for individual
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
, particularly the
common rudd (''S. erythrophthalmus''). The rudd can be distinguished from the very similar roach by way of the rudd's upturned mouth, allowing it to pick food items such as aquatic insects from the surface of the water with minimal disturbance.
The
Greek rudd (''S. graecus'') is a similar fish, about 40 cm long. It occurs only in the southern tip of the Greek mainland. It lives in lakes and slow-flowing rivers, forming large schools. It spawns around April–June among underwater plants in shallow water. It feeds on small crustaceans, the larvae and pupae of insects, and on plant material. The majority of its food is taken at or near the surface of the water. The fish is not usually found in deep water. Very little is known about the biology of this species. It is important locally, both to anglers and commercial companies.
[Freshwater Fishes of Britain and Europe, Rainbow Books, 1992, Elsley House, 24–30, Great Titchfield Street, London W1P 7AD. Originally published in 1983 as a Kingfisher Guide to Freshwater Fishes. ]
Species
* ''
Scardinius acarnanicus''
Economidis, 1991 (Trichonis rudd)
* ''
Scardinius dergle''
Heckel & Kner, 1858 (Dalmatian rudd)
* ''
Scardinius elmaliensis''
Bogutskaya, 1997 (Elmali rudd)
* ''
Scardinius erythrophthalmus''
(Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...
, 1758) (common rudd)
* ''
Scardinius graecus''
Stephanidis, 1937 (Greek rudd)
* ''
Scardinius hesperidicus''
Bonaparte, 1845 (Italian rudd)
* ''
Scardinius knezevici''
Bianco & Kottelat, 2005 (Skadar rudd)
* ''
Scardinius plotizza''
Heckel & Kner, 1858 (Neretva rudd)
* ''
Scardinius racovitzai''
G. J. Müller, 1958 (Racovitza's rudd)
* ''
Scardinius scardafa''
(Bonaparte, 1837) (Tiber rudd)
References
External links
*
All About Rudd - Article
Leuciscinae
Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Leuciscinae-stub