Skip to content
Explore Pêchedex

FISH GUIDE · Freshwater

Italian riffle dace: identification, habitat and fishing guide

Telestes muticellus

Italian freshwater fish; documented hybridisation with Telestes souffia.

Catalogue names : Italian riffle dace. Forms and names may vary between habitats.

Editorial review : · This species guide is not permission to fish. Read the precautions below and check the current rules for your location before targeting a species. Some species or populations are protected.

Geographical distribution

Italian Adriatic and Tyrrhenian drainages; introductions in Liguria and the south. Bevera records require attention to hybrids.

  • Documented presence : Adriatic drainages from the Brenta to the Vomano
  • Documented presence : Tyrrhenian drainages from the Bevera to the Volturno
  • Introduction : Liguria and southern Italy

Documented areas, not an exhaustive list. Presence in a region does not imply presence in every water body or permission to fish.

Distribution sources

Identification

Fusiform body; dark longitudinal stripe above a lateral line with yellow-orange pores. Older muticellus names must not be confused with Telestes souffia.

Habitat

Piedmont streams with moderately cool water.

The Emilia-Romagna 2025/2026 regional programme also mentions hills and upper plains where water remains well oxygenated.

Diet

Mainly aquatic invertebrates; also algae.

Behaviour

Spawns in shallow, fast-flowing water.

Fishing context and precautions

Under the Abruzzo 2026 regional framework, fishing for or catching Telestes muticellus is prohibited. This sheet prepares for incidental identification, without targeting bait. The calendar provides for returning prohibited species to the water; minimise handling, wet hands, and cut the line near the mouth if necessary within the described framework.

A distinctive feature

Its oxygen requirement matters more than altitude alone.

Sources and review

Each reference includes its access date. Overall editorial review: . Local conditions and regulations may change.

More species to discover