Chondrostoma variabile Yakovlev, 1870
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Volga undermouth or Volga nase (Chondrostoma variabile) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae. This species is found in the Emba, Ural, and Volga drainages of the Caspian Sea basin and the Don River drainage of the Black Sea basin.
It is a riverine fish but is also found in reservoirs. The distribution is in lowland areas and foothills, and the fish prefer river stretches with strong currents, including rapids. Larvae and juveniles have a superior mouth, but at 3–4 months, they change to adult feeding mode (undermouth) and start grazing the bottom, eating benthic diatoms and detritus from the hard substrate. Breeding females deposit sticky eggs on gravel bottoms in shallow parts of rivers with moderate to strong currents.
Wikipedia contributors, Volga undermouth; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:19:40.695382+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Chondrostoma variabile Yakovlev, 1870
- Name authority
- Yakovlev, 1870
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Family
- Cyprinidae
- Genus
- Chondrostoma
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCypriniformes
- familyCyprinidae Rafinesque, 1815
- subfamilyLeuciscinae Bonaparte, 1835
- genusChondrostoma Agassiz, 1832
- speciesChondrostoma variabile Yakovlev, 1870
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Chondrostoma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Chondrostoma colchicum Derjugin, 1899 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chondrostoma esmaeilii Eagderi, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Birecikligil, Çiçek & Coad, 2017 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chondrostoma orientale Bianco & Bănărescu, 1982 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| common naseChondrostoma nasus (Linnaeus, 1758) | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chondrostoma prespense Karaman, 1924 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chondrostoma scodrense Elvira, 1987 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chondrostoma vardarense Karaman, 1928 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chondrostoma cyri Kessler, 1877 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chondrostoma kinzelbachi Krupp, 1985 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chondrostoma fahirae (Ladiges, 1960) | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chondrostoma holmwoodii (Boulenger, 1896) | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chondrostoma kubanicum Berg, 1914 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Chondrostoma nasus variabile Yakovlev, 1870 Yakovlev, 1870 | synonym |
| Chondrostoma nasus variabilis Yakovlev, 1870 Yakovlev, 1870 | synonym |
| Chondrostoma variabilis Yakovlev, 1870 Yakovlev, 1870 | synonym |
| Chondrostoma nasus borysthenicum Berg, 1914 Berg, 1914 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Yakovlev, V. E. (1870). On the new and little-known species of fish found in the mouths of the Volga. 101–111. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5XZFN. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.