DENTITY RECORD

Spined Loach

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Cobitis taenia

DescrIption

My body measures between six and 12 cm long. I have a narrow head with barbels around my mouth. My scales are the color of sand interspersed with lots of small black scales down my sides.

Behavior

Diet

I eat tiny prey such as larvae and worms and even organic particles that I extract by filtering them out of the sand.

Reproduction

I breed between April and July. The female lays between 100 and 500 eggs in the sand. The eggs hatch about 10 days later.

Lifespan

I can live up to five years.

Where and when can you find me in the reserve ?

Habitat

I live on the sandy beds of slow-flowing waterbodies and lakes. I am a very discreet species.

When to spot me

Buried in the sand during the day, I am mainly active at night. I spend winter in the mud of ditches and shallow habitats.

Conservation status

• Red list of freshwater fish in metropolitan France: Near Threatened (NT).
• Red list of endangered fish in Alsace: Vulnerable (VU).