Blicca bjoerkna (Linnaeus, 1758)

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 330-331

Blicca bjoerkna

Common name. Silver bream.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from Abramis , Acanthobrama , Ballerus , and Vimba by: ○ sub-inferior mouth, which cannot be extended as a tube / ○ 43–46+2–3 lateral line scales /

Blicca bjoerkna ; Odra drainage, Germany; ~ 300 mm SL.

○ 19–23½ branched anal rays / ○ eye diameter about equal to snout length in individuals larger than 100 mm SL / ● pharyngeal teeth 2,5–2,5 / ○ orange or reddish base of paired fins in adults. Size up to 330 mm SL.

Distribution. Caspian, Marmara, and Black Sea basins. Introduced to Cyprus. In Aral, North, Baltic, White, Northern Black (south to Rioni drainage), Atlantic basins south to Adour drainage ( France; possibly introduced south of Loire) and Mediterranean basins in France (Hérault and Rhône drainages). Naturally absent from Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Adriatic basin, Crimea, Great Britain (except southeast), Scandinavia north of Sundsvall ( Sweden) and 65°N ( Finland). Locally introduced in Spain, north-east Italy, and France, apparently introduced in small coastal drainages of Var.

Habitat. A wide variety of shallow, warm lowland lakes and slow-flowing lower reaches of large rivers and canals. Often very abundant at bottom of large sandy rivers. Spawns along banks on submerged vegetation, roots, or shallow gravel bottoms.

Biology. Predominantly nocturnal. Gregarious. Lives more than 10 years. Males first spawn at 2 years, females at 3. Most individuals spawn 2–3 times per season, about 10 days apart, and may spawn more than once. Spawns in early morning in May–July at temperatures above 15°C. Eggs

are sticky, and larvae inhabit still waters. Feeds on benthic invertebrates. Often hybridises with Vimba vimba . Most reported hybrids with Abramis brama are A. brama with pharyngeal teeth 2.5–5.2 (as opposed to usual 5–5).

Conservation status. LC.

Further reading. Berg 1949b (biology); Bogutskaya & Naseka 2004 (generic position); Brylinska et al. 2006 (biology); Kottelat & Freyhof 2007 (distribution, biology, diagnosis); Zogaris et al. 2012 ( Cyprus).