Gualala roach
| Gualala roach | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Leuciscidae |
| Genus: | Hesperoleucus |
| Species: | H. parvipinnis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Hesperoleucus parvipinnis Snyder, 1913
| |
The Gualala roach (Hesperoleucus parvipinnis) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces, chubs, Eurasian minnows and related species. This species is endemic to California.
Taxonomy
[edit]The Gualala roach was first formally described in 1913 by the American ichthyologist John Otterbein Snyder with its type locality given as the Wheatfield Fork of Gualala River in Sonoma County, California.[2] This taxon was previously considered to be a synonym of the California roach (H. symmetricus) but in 2019 it was shown to be a valid species.[3] Thie genus Hesperoleucus is classified within the subfamily Laviniinae, the Western chubs, within the family Leuciscidae.[4]
Etymology
[edit]The Gualala roach is classified within the genus Hesperoleucus, this name combines the Latin word Hesperus, which means "western", and leucos, which is thought to be a shortening of Myloleucus, a synonym of Gila. This name reflects that the species in this genus are found in Western North America and their similarity to Gila. The specific name prefixes pinna, which mean "fin", with parvi, meaning "small", a reference to the small, rounded fins.[5]
Description
[edit]The Gualala roach is a small fish with the adults having typical length of 5 to 8 cm (2.0 to 3.1 in), they have a similar bronzy color to the California roach (H. symmetricus). It can be distinguished from other species in the genus Hesperoleucus in having smaller scales, with between 54 and 65 scales along its lateral line, a shorter snout, shorter rounded fins and a thicker body. The number of fin rays in the dorsal fin is 7-8, averaging at 8 and between 6 and 8 anal fin rays, averaging 6. There is a aple stripe with a width of 2 scales along the flanks, above the lateral line, there is a thinner darker stripe blow this and several thinnergark stripes which fade towards the belly.[3]
Distribution
[edit]The Gualala roach is endemic to the Gualala River system in Sonoma County, California. It is most numerous in the warmer waters of the Southern and Wheatfield Forks and their tributaries but it is less common in the cooler Northern Fork, and in the mainstrean below its confluence with the Northern Fork.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Hesperoleucus parvipinnis Northern Roach". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Hesperoleucus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ a b c Jason Baumsteiger & Peter B. Moyle (2019). "A reappraisal of the California Roach/Hitch (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae, Hesperoleucus/Lavinia) species complex". Zootaxa. 4543 (2): 221–240. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4543.2.3.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Laviniinae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf (6 September 2024). "Family LEUCISCIDAE Subfamily LAVINIINAE Bleeker 1863 (Western Chubs)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 19 May 2025.