// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Valencia toothcarp say? "I'm hooked".
| Valencia toothcarp | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cyprinodontiformes |
| Family: | Valenciidae |
| Genus: | Valencia |
| Species: | V. hispanica |
| Binomial name | |
| Valencia hispanica (Valenciennes, 1846) | |
 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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The Valencia toothcarp (Valencian: samaruc, scientific name: Valencia hispanica) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish in the family Valenciidae. It is endemic to southern Catalonia and the Valencian Community, Spain. There is at least one historical record of this species from near Perpignan, France, but the species has since been extirpated from that area.[2]
Description
[edit]The Valencia toothcarp is of a light brown to yellow color. Adult males oscillate between 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in), and can be distinguished from females by the orangish rims of their fins. In addition, adult females are slightly larger than adult males.
Habitat
[edit]The natural habitat of the Valencia toothcarp consists of marshes, freshwater springs, coastal freshwater lagoons, and acequias.
Biology
[edit]The Valencia toothcarp is a gregarious species, known to form small shoals. It is carnivorous, feeding on insects, larvae, and worms.
Conservation status
[edit]The Valencia toothcarp is listed as a vulnerable species by the Spanish government and the IUCN. Its habitats were lost and populations dwindled as a result of land reclamation, an intense phenomenon in Valencia during the 1980s, attributed to the tourism boom. The increased human population that followed also brought increased pollution and introduced species, making their numbers plummet further.[1]
Recently, the Valencia toothcarp has been the object of a conservation and reintroduction program spearheaded by the Valencian regional government, which aims to reverse further declines.[3] As part of that program, this species is bred by the l'Oceanogràfic aquarium in Valencia (which also puts this species on exhibition) and other institutions, and thousands of individuals have been released alongside the also-endangered European pond turtle into the nearby l'Albufera lagoon in the last few years.[3][4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 Ford, M. (2024). "Valencia hispanica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2024 e.T22829A137340682. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Valencia hispanica". FishBase. April 2019 version.
- 1 2 Silla, Teresa (2023-11-16). "La Fundación Oceanogràfic y la Conselleria de Medi Ambient reintroducen en la Albufera juveniles de galápago europeo y los primeros samarucs criados en el Oceanogràfic". Oceanogràfic de València (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-21.
- ↑ Serra, José Rafael (2025-06-13). "Samarucs, galápagos y petxinots refuerzan la biodiversidad de L'Albufera". Oceanogràfic de València (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-21.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Valencia hispanica at Wikimedia Commons
