Tag Archives: Cyprinidae

Acanthobrama centisquama Heckel

Orontes Bream (Acanthobrama centisquama)

The Orontes Bream, aka. Long-spine Bream, described in 1843; it was restricted to Lake Amik in Turkey as well as some water bodies in the Ghab Plain in Syria, which both obtain their water from the Orontes River.

Lake Amik was drained in the 1940 to obtain land for growing cotton but also to eliminate malaria; and the swampy areas in the Ghab Plan were drained in the 1950s, more or less for the same reasons.

The Orontes Bream is now most likely completely extinct.

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Depiction from: ‘M. Goren; L. Fishelson; E. Trewavas: The cyprinid fishes of Acanthobrama Heckel and related genera. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Zoology 24(6): 293-315. 1973’

The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London

(under creative commons license (4.0))
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

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edited: 30.04.2021

Cyprinus yunnanensis Tchang

Yunnan Carp (Cyprinus yunnanensis)

The Yunnan Carp was described in 1933; it was restricted to Lake Qilu in Yunnan, China.

The littoral zone of the lake was destroyed by agricultural development, leading to a drop in the water level due to water extraction; furthermore, many species of foreign fish appear to have been introduced to the lake and probably feeding upon the eggs and larvae of the native fish species.

The Yunnan Carp was last found in the 1970s and is now apparently extinct.

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edited: 15.02.2024

Cyprinus micristius Regan

Dianchi Carp (Cyprinus micristius)

The Dianchi Carp was described in 1906; it is, or rather was, endemic to lake Dianchi in Yunnan, China.

The species was last seen in the 1960s and is now very likely extinct; it is said, however, that the tributaries of Lake Dianchi are maybe inhabited by one or more subspecies that might be still existing.

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syn. Mesocyprinus micristius (Regan)

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edited: 18.05.2022

Acanthobrama tricolor (Lortet)

Damascus Bream (Acanthobrama tricolor)  

The Damascus Bream was described in 1883; it was restricted to water bodies on the Golan Heights in Syria; most of which are now either dried up or heavily polluted.

The last specimens were found in the late 1980s in the Masil al Fawwar river system, it might now be completely extinct.

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edited: 30.04.2021

Barbodes truncatulus (Herre)

Truncataed Bitungu (Barbodess truncatulus)

The Truncataed Bitungu was described in 1924; it was restricted to Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao, Philippines.

The species fell victim to introduced predatory fish as well as likewise introduced invasive competitor fish species; it was last seen in 1973 and is now extinct.

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edited: 29.04.2022

Evarra eigenmanni Woolman

Plateau Chub (Evarra eigenmanni)

This Plateau Chub was described in 1894, it inhabited freshwater channels in the Chalco – and the Xochimilco-Tláhuac area in the Valley of Mexico, a region that is no longer existent due to the unstoppable growth of Mexico City.

The species apparently disappeared at around 1954.

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Depiction from: ‘David Starr Jordan; Barton Warren Evermann: The fishes of North and Middle America: a descriptive catalogue of the species of fish-like vertebrates found in the waters of North America, north of the Isthmus of Panama. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, United States National Museum 1896-1900’

(public domain)

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edited: 10.05.2021

Labeobarbus microbarbis (Poll & David)

Luhondo Yellowfish (Labeobarbus microbarbis)

The Luhondo Yellowfish was described in 1937; it was endemic to Lake Luhondo in Rwanda and is only known from the type specimen.

The species started to disappear in the late 1930s after the introduction of cichlid species, including tilapias, into the lake, which outcompeted the native fish species.

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Depiction from: ‘Keith Edward Banister: A revision of the large Barbus (Pisces, Cyprinidae) of east and central Africa. Studies on African Cyprinidae. Part II. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Zoology 26: 1-147. 1973’

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

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edited: 16.05.2022

Acanthobrama hulensis (Goren, Fishelson & Trewavas)

Hula Bream (Acanthobrama hulensis)  

The Hula Bream was described in 1973; it was endemic to the swampy- and freshwater areas of Lake Hula in northern Israel.

The species reached a length of 23 cm; it was a bottom feeder which fed on mollusks and zooplankton.

When the lake was drained in the 1950s to obtain land for agriculture, this fish species died out; the last specimens were found in 1975.

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edited: 30.04.2021

Barbodes baoulan Herre

Baolan Barbel (Barbodes baoulan)  

The Baolan Barbel, locally known as Baolan, was endemic to Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao, Philippines, where it was said to inhabit deeper waters.  

The species reached a length of about 11 cm.  

The fish is known from only nine specimens, despite being one of the most highly esteemed for food and apparently the rarest and most difficult to obtain. It is said to have only been caught during the colder months, and only after a storm with the waves still running high.  

The species was reportedly last caught in 1963 to 1964, it is now feared to be extinct.  

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edited: 27.03.2017

Caecocypris basimi Banister & Bunni

Haditha Cavefish (Caecocypris basimi)

The Haditha Cavefish was described in 1980 based on material that was collected in 1977 from aquifers, underground layers of water-bearing rocks, near the city of Haditha, Iraq.

The groundwater level has drastically lowered since than due to water extraction; the species hasn’t been found since 1983, despite comprehensive surveys and appears to be extinct now.

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edited: 09.08.2022

Barbodes disa Herre

Diza Barbel (Barbodes disa)  

This species, locally known as Diza, was endemic to Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao, Philippines.  

The fish reached a length of about 9 cm.  

The Diza Barbel was reportedly last caught in 1963/64 and is now considered most likely extinct.  

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edited: 27.03.2017

Barbodes amarus Herre

Bitter Barbel (Barbodes amarus)  

This species, which locally is known as Dipura or Pait, was endemic to Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao, Philippines.  

The species reached a length of about 11 cm.  

The species was reportedly last caught in 1982, all subsequent surveys failed to record it and it is now feared to be extinct.  

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The causes for the extinction of so many endemic fish species from Lake Lanao are the excessive exploitation of fish, which is the main diet for the increasing human population in the area; the traditional fishing methods having been replaced by dynamite fishing, which simply destroys and kills everything, and by the use of several poisons.  

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edited: 27.03.2017

Barbodes palaemophagus Herre

Bitungu (Barbodess palaemophagus)

This species was described in 1924; it was endemic to Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao, Philippines.

In the 1960s, the Tank Goby (Glossogobius giuris (F. Hamilton)), a predatory fish species was accidently introduced to the lake, leading to the extinction of several endemic fish species. However, overfishing, rampant use of destructive fishing methods (dynamite fishing), and unsustainable fishing practices certainly played their part too.

The Bitungu was last recorded in 1975 and is now extinct.

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edited: 29.04.2022

Evarra bustamantei Navarro

Mexican Chub (Evarra bustamantei)

The Mexican Chub is one of three known species in this genus, all of them are now extinct due to habitat loss.

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This Mexican Chub was described in 1955, it inhabited canals and streams in the Valley of Mexico, a plateau in central Mexico that now is nearly completely overbuilt by Mexico City, one of the largest cities on the planet.

The species died out at around 1983 as a result of the complete drying of the water bodies in the valley due to the withdrawal of water by the agriculture and the unstoppable growth of the city and its suburbs.

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edited: 20.01.2020

Rhinichthys deaconi R. R. Miller

Las Vegas Dace (Rhinichthys deaconi)  

The Las Vegas Dace was described in 1984, it was declared extinct in 1986, only two years later.  

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The Las Vegas Valley in Nevada, USA originally was formed by a river, this river, however, started to disappear at 4000 to 1000 BCE., leaving behind only three springs and becoming merely a dry wash.  

The last Las Vegas Daces were cought in 1940 (but were not recognized as being distinct), they apparently survived in one of the springs and outflows until 1955 to 1957, but disappeared sometimes before 1967.  

The creek that formerly held the three springs is now obviously completely dry.  

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References:  

[1] Robert Rush Miller: Rhinichthys deaconi, a new species of dace (Pisces: Cyprinidae) from southern Nevada. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology University of Michigan 707: 1-21. 1984  

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edited: 23.04.2019

Barbodes pachycheilus Herre

Thick-lipped Barbel (Barbodes pachycheilus)  

The Thick-lipped Barbel was endemic to Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao, Philippines.  

The species is known only from the type specimen that was collected in 1921, it was never recorded again and is considered most likely extinct.  

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The local name of the fish was Bongkaong.  

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edited: 27.03.2017