# Rutilus > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Rutilus > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Rutilus.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutilus > Source revision: 1354821678 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Genus of fishes}} {{other uses}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Rutilusrutilus38cm 2143x1060.JPG | image_caption = [Common roach](/source/Common_roach) (''Rutilus rutilus'') | display_parents = 2 | taxon = Rutilus | authority = [Rafinesque](/source/Constantine_Samuel_Rafinesque-Schmaltz), 1820{{Cof family|family=Leuciscinae|access-date=16 April 2025}} | type_species = ''[Cyprinus rutilus](/source/Common_roach)'' | type_species_authority = [Linnaeus](/source/Carl_Linnaeus), 1758 | synonyms = {{Genus list | Cenisophius | [Bonaparte](/source/Charles_Lucien_Bonaparte), 1846 | Gardonus | Bonaparte, 1846 | Metallites | [Schulze](/source/Erwin_Schulze), 1890 | Orfus | [Fitzinger](/source/Leopold_Fitzinger), 1873 | Pararutilus | [Berg](/source/Lev_Berg), 1912 | Pigus | Bonaparte, 1846 | Rubellus | Fitzinger, 1873 }} | synonyms_ref = | subdivision_ranks = | subdivision = }} '''''Rutilus''''', commonly known as '''roaches''', is a [genus](/source/genus) of freshwater [ray-finned fish](/source/Actinopterygii) belonging to the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Leuciscidae](/source/Leuciscidae), which includes the daces, Eurasian minnows and related fishes. This genus is a widely [distributed lineage](/source/Lineage_(evolution)) of leuciscids and [ranges](/source/Range_(biology)) from [West Europe](/source/West_Europe) to [East Siberia](/source/East_Siberia).{{FishBase genus|genus=Rutilus |month=February|year=2025}} ==Taxonomy== ''Rutilus'' was first proposed as a genus in 1820 by the French [polymath](/source/polymath) [Constantine Samuel Rafinesque](/source/Constantine_Samuel_Rafinesque) with ''Cyprinus rutilus'' designated as the [type species](/source/type_species) but also the type species by absolute [tautonymy](/source/tautonymy). ''Cyprinus rutilus'' was first formally [described](/source/Species_description) in the [10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''](/source/10th_edition_of_Systema_Naturae) by [Carl Linnaeus](/source/Carl_Linnaeus) with "European lakes" given as the [type locality](/source/Type_locality_(biology)).{{Cof genus|genus=Rutilus|access-date=16 April 2025}} In a [phylogeographic](/source/phylogeography) study, Levin et al. (2017) argue that the [Ponto-Caspian](/source/Ponto-Caspian) taxa including ''R. caspicus'', ''R. heckelii'' and ''R. stoumboudae'' could represent a single widespread species whose range extends to [Siberia](/source/Siberia), to be named ''[Rutilus lacustris](/source/Rutilus_lacustris)'', whereas ''R. kutum'' is included in ''R. frisii''.{{cite journal|author=Levin, B.A.|author2= Simonov, E.P.|author3= Ermakov, O.A.|author4= Levina, M.A.|author5= Interesova, E.A.|author6= Kovalchuk, O.M.|author7= Malinina, Y.A.|author8= Mamilov, N.S. |author9=Mustafayev, N.J.|author10= Pilin, D.V.|author11= Pozdeev, I.V.|author12= Prostakov, N.I.|author13= Roubenyan, H.R.|author14= Titov, S.V. |author15= Vekhov, D.A. |year=2017 |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10750-016-2984-3 |title=Phylogeny and phylogeography of the roaches, genus ''Rutilus'' (Cyprinidae), at the Eastern part of its range as inferred from mtDNA analysis|journal=Hydrobiologia|volume= 788 |issue=1|pages= 33–46}} The genera ''[Leucos](/source/Leucos)'' and ''[Sarmarutilus](/source/Sarmarutilus)'' have been recently separated from ''Rutilus'' and are closely related to it.{{cite journal |author=Bianco, P.G.|author2= Ketmaier, V. |year=2014|url=http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2014/f/z03841p402f.pdf |title=A revision of the ''Rutilus'' complex from Mediterranean Europe with description of a new genus, ''Sarmarutilus'', and a new species, ''Rutilus stoumboudae'' (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)|journal=Zootaxa |volume=3841 |issue=3|pages= 379–402|doi= 10.11646/zootaxa.3841.3.4 }} ==Etymology== ''Rutilus'' was chosen as the genus name by [tautonymy](/source/Tautonym) with ''Cyprinus rutilus''; ''rutilus'' means red, golden red or reddish yellow, and is an allusion to the red colour of the fins.{{cite web |url=https://etyfish.org/leuciscinae/ |title=Family LEUCISCIDAE: Subfamily LEUCISCINAE Bonaparte 1835 (European Minnows)|author=Christopher Scharpf |date=8 April 2024 |access-date=16 April 2025 |work=The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database |publisher=Christopher Scharpf}} ==Species== ''Rutilus'' contains the following valid species: * ''[Rutilus caspicus](/source/Rutilus_caspicus)'' ([Yakovlev](/source/Vasily_Yakovlev_(zoologist)), 1870) (Caspian roach) * ''[Rutilus frisii](/source/Rutilus_frisii)'' ([Nordmann](/source/Alexander_von_Nordmann), 1840) (Black Sea roach) * ''[Rutilus heckelii](/source/Rutilus_heckelii)'' (Nordmann, 1840) * ''[Rutilus kutum](/source/Rutilus_kutum)'' ([Kamensky](/source/Sergei_Nikolaevich_Kamensky), 1901) (Kutum) * ''[Rutilus lacustris](/source/Rutilus_lacustris)'' ([Pallas](/source/Peter_Simon_Pallas), 1814) (Pontic roach) * ''[Rutilus meidingeri](/source/Rutilus_meidingeri)'' ([Heckel](/source/Johann_Jakob_Heckel), 1851) (Pearlfish) * ''[Rutilus pigus](/source/Rutilus_pigus)'' ([Lacepède](/source/Bernard_Germain_de_Lac%C3%A9p%C3%A8de), 1803) (Pigo) * ''[Rutilus rutilus](/source/Rutilus_rutilus)'' (Linnaeus, 1758) (Common roach) * ''[Rutilus sojuchbulagi](/source/Rutilus_sojuchbulagi)'' [Abdurakhmanov](/source/Y._A._Abdurakhmanov), 1950 (Akstafa spring roach) * ''[Rutilus virgo](/source/Rutilus_virgo)'' (Heckel, 1852) (Cactus roach) ==Characteristics== ''Rutilus'', according to Rafinesque, was characterised by "''Vent posterior nearer to the tail. Abdominal fins with nine rays. Mouth large and with lips. Scales large.''"{{cite book |author=Richard Ellsworth Call |year=1899|orig-year=1820 |title=Ichthyologia Ohiensis|trans-title=or Natural History of the Fishes Inhabiting the River Ohio and its Tributary Streams |publisher=The Burrows Brothers Co}} includes a reprint of Rafinesque's original text The smallest species in the genus is ''R. sojuchbulagi'' with a maximum [total length](/source/total_length) of {{cvt|7|cm}},{{cite book|author=Freyhof, Jörg|author2= Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran|author3= Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash |author4= Kaya, Cüneyt|year= 2025|title= Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia|page= 397 |url=https://zenodo.org/records/17820529}} while the largest are ''R. frisii'' and ''R. meidingeri'' with a maximum [total length](/source/total_length) of {{cvt|70|cm}}. ==Distribution== ''Rutilus'' is a widely distributed genus of leuciscids and fishes from this genus are found from Western Europe to Eastern Siberia.{{cite journal |author=B. A. Levin |author2=E. P. Simonov |author3=O. A. Ermakov |author4=M. A. Levina |author5=E. A. Interesova |author6=O. M. Kovalchuk |author7=Y. A. Malinina |author8=N. S. Mamilov |author9=N. J. Mustafayev |author10=D. V. Pilin |author11=I. V. Pozdeev |author12=N. I. Prostakov |author13=H. R. Roubenyan |author14=S. V. Titov |author15=D. A. Vekhov |display-authors=3 |year=2016 |title=Phylogeny and phylogeography of the roaches, genus ''Rutilus'' (Cyprinidae), at the Eastern part of its range as inferred from mtDNA analysis |journal=Hydrobiologia |volume=788 |issue=1 |pages=33-46 |doi=10.1007/s10750-016-2984-3}} ==References== {{Reflist}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q180447}} {{Authority control}} Category:Rutilus Category:Leuciscinae Category:Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque {{Leuciscinae-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Rutilus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutilus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutilus?action=history)). 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