Zingel balcanicus
{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Perch Species (Zingel balcanicus).jpg
| status = CR
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| taxon = Zingel balcanicus
| authority = (Karaman, 1936)
| synonyms = *Aspro streber balcanicus Karaman, 1937
- Asper streber balcanicus (Karaman, 1937)
| synonyms_ref = {{Cof genus|genus-Zingel|access-date=22 April 2025}}
}}
Zingel balcanicus, the Vardar streber is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish in the family Percidae, the perches, ruffes, pikeperches and the darters. This species is endemic to the Vardar or Axios River in North Macedonia and its distribution may extend to the lower reaches of the river in Greece. Its biology is little known but other species in the genus Zingel require turbulent flows.
Taxonomy
Zingel balcanicus was first formally described as 'Asper streber balcanicus by the Yogoslav biologist Stanko Karaman with its type locality given as the Vardar River in the Republic of North Macedonia. This taxon is now considered to be a valid species within the genus Zingel, the strebers and the zingel, within the subfamily Luciopercinae in the family Percidae.{{Cof family|family=Percidae|access-date=21 April 2025}}
Etymology
Zingel balcanicus is classified within the genus Zingel, a name first coined by Hippolyte Cloquet as a tautonym when he proposed the genus Zingel with Cyprinus zingel as its type species, zingel is a German vernacular name for the zingel. The specific name, balcanicus, means "Balkan and refers to the type locality, the Vardar River, being located in the Balkans.{{cite web |url=https://etyfish.org/leuciscinae/ |title=Order PERCIFORMES (part 6): Suborder PERCOIDEI: Families NIPHONIDAE, PERCIDAE and TRACHINIDAE|author=Christopher Scharpf |date=1 November 2024 |access-date=21 April 2025 |work=The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database |publisher=Christopher Scharpf}}
Distribution and habitat
Zingel balcanicus is known only from the Beleshnica River, a small tributary of the upper Treska, itself a tributary of the VArdar in North Macedonia. In the 20th Century there were records from the main channel of the Vardar but despite being included on some checklists the presence of this species has not been confirmed in Greece. This is a rheophilic, benthic fish living in flwoing, well-oxygentated water with a streambed made up of gravel, stones and boulders. It feeds on benthic invertebrates.
Conservation
Zingel balcanicus is classified as Critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Threats to this species include damming, introduced rainbow trout and pollution. The distribution and population of the Vardar streber have declined since the mid 20th Century.