Bathybates fasciatus

The Striped Bystranka, <em>Alburnoides fasciatus</em>, is a small freshwater fish in the family Leuciscidae, a diverse cypriniform family distributed widely across Eurasia and North America. This species reaches a maximum recorded length of approximately 12 centimetres and is characterised by the lateral stripe patterning that gives it its common name. The Leuciscidae, formerly treated as a subfamily within Cyprinidae, includes daces, chubs, roaches, and related minnow-like fishes, many of which occupy clear, cool to temperate running waters. Details of habitat and range for this species remain limited in the ichthyological literature. The genus <em>Alburnoides</em> comprises a cluster of small, slender, silvery fishes distributed across river systems of the Middle East, Central Asia, and adjacent regions, and <em>Alburnoides fasciatus</em> is one of several morphologically similar species within this complex. Like its congeners, it presumably occupies freshwater lotic habitats where it feeds on invertebrates, algae, and small plant particles. Conservation status for this species is listed as Not Evaluated by the IUCN. Taxonomic boundaries within <em>Alburnoides</em> continue to be refined through molecular and morphological studies.