Phoxinus phoxinus

Phoxinus phoxinus
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Leuciscidae
Subfamily: Phoxininae
Genus: Phoxinus
Species:
P. phoxinus
Binomial name
Phoxinus phoxinus
Synonyms
  • Cyprinus phoxinus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Cyprinus aphya Linnaeus, 1758
  • Salmo rivularis Pallas, 1773
  • Cyprinus rivularis (Pallas, 1773)
  • Cyprinus morella Leske, 1774
  • Cyprinus galian Gmelin, 1789
  • Phoxinus laevis Fitzinger, 1832
  • Phoxinus varius Perty, 1832
  • Phoxinus laevis var. balchaschana Kessler, 1879
  • Phoxinus phoxinus carpathicus Popescu Gorj & Dimitriu, 1950

Phoxinus phoxinus (known colloquially as the Eurasian minnow, minnow, Channel minnow, or common minnow) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces, minnows and related fishes. It is the type species of genus Phoxinus. This taxon was formerly considered to be the only species in the genus Phoxinus found in Europe and to have a wide geohraphic range in Eurasia, however, it is now regarded as part of a species complex with new species being described across its former range and this species being restricted to Western Europe. It occurs predominantly in cool (12–20 °C (54–68 °F)) streams and well-oxygenated lakes and ponds. It is noted for being a gregarious species, shoaling in large numbers.