Moderlieschen
Encyclopedia
The Moderlieschen or Belica (Leucaspius delineatus) is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family. Formerly, its genus
Leucaspius included some other species, but these have all been moved to Ladigesocypris
or Pseudophoxinus
or merged with L. delineatus, leaving Leucaspius monotypic
.
It is found all over temperate
continental Europe
and barely extends to Central Asia
in the Caucasus
region. The southern limits of its range are essentially marked by the Pyrenees
and the Alpide belt
.
Its common name is of German origin. Although it looks like a proper word than can be approximately translated as "mouldy Lizzy", it is actually a bowdlerized version of an older name which survives in parts of Germany as Mutterloseken. Literally meaning "the little motherless one", this ultimately refers to the fact that the sticky eggs of the Moderlieschen can withstand exposure to air for a remarkably long time. Deposited on water plants, they sometimes stick to the feet of duck
s and similar birds and are carried by these to ephemeral ponds. Large numbers of young moderlieschens are thus sometimes encountered when such ponds dry up, and with no adult fish being present this gave rise to the belief that they were "motherless".
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Leucaspius included some other species, but these have all been moved to Ladigesocypris
Ladigesocypris
Ladigesocypris is a small genus of ray-finned fishes in the family Cyprinidae. They were formerly included in Leucaspius. Some authors treat the genus as monotypic.The genus contains the following species:...
or Pseudophoxinus
Pseudophoxinus
Pseudophoxinus is a genus of ray-finned fishes in the family Cyprinidae. They occur mainly in the eastern Mediterranean region, in particular in and around Asia Minor....
or merged with L. delineatus, leaving Leucaspius monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
.
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
and barely extends to Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
in the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
region. The southern limits of its range are essentially marked by the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
and the Alpide belt
Alpide belt
The Alpide belt is a mountain range which extends along the southern margin of Eurasia. Stretching from Java to Sumatra through the Himalayas, the Mediterranean, and out into the Atlantic, it includes the Alps, the Carpathians, the mountains of Asia Minor and Iran, the Hindu Kush, the Himalayas,...
.
Its common name is of German origin. Although it looks like a proper word than can be approximately translated as "mouldy Lizzy", it is actually a bowdlerized version of an older name which survives in parts of Germany as Mutterloseken. Literally meaning "the little motherless one", this ultimately refers to the fact that the sticky eggs of the Moderlieschen can withstand exposure to air for a remarkably long time. Deposited on water plants, they sometimes stick to the feet of duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s and similar birds and are carried by these to ephemeral ponds. Large numbers of young moderlieschens are thus sometimes encountered when such ponds dry up, and with no adult fish being present this gave rise to the belief that they were "motherless".