Alburnoides prespensis
species of fish
Alburnoides prespensis, the Prespa spirlin, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces, minnows and related fishes. This fish is endemic to the Balkans, around Prespa Lakes.
Taxonomy
Alburnoides prespensis was first formally described as Alburnoides bipunctatus prespensis in 1924 by the Bosnian Serb, then Yugoslav, ichthyologist Stanko Karaman, with its type locality given as Lake Prespa in the Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This species is closely related to the schneider (Alburnoides bipunctatus), and all of the populations of schneider in the Balkans south of the Danube were considered to belong to the subspecies A. bipunctatus ohridanus. A. prespensis is now recognised as a valid species within the genus Alburnoides, which is classified in the subfamily Leuciscinae of the family Leuciscidae.
Etymology
Alburnoides prespensis belongs to the genus Alburnoides. This name suffixes -oides onto the genus name Alburnus, which is Latin for "whitefish", but also refers to the bleak, a name which means "pale" in English, in reference to the pale, non-lustrous colour of Alburnus alburnus. The suffix -oides is used to indicate that this taxon is similar to Alburnus, with the type species of the Alburnoides being Alburnus maculatus. The specific name refers to the type locality, Lake Prespa in Greece, Albania and North Macedonia.
Description
Alburnoides prespensis is distinguished from other spirlins by having a terminal mouth with the cleft of the mouth only slightly slanted, an anal fin with between 10 and 11+1⁄2 branched rays.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Alburnoides prespensis” is species of fish. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Alburnoides, prespensis and species, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “species of fish” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q129748. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1924.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Alburnoides prespensis”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Alburnoides prespensis primary sources, Alburnoides prespensis archive and Alburnoides research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Alburnoides prespensis”?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Alburnoides prespensis” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.