Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Coastal roach (source revision). Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
Coastal Roach
Hesperoleucus venustus
Leuciscidae · freshwater water fish
1 minute read · Species guide

About Coastal Roach
The coastal roach (Hesperoleucus venustus) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces, chubs, Eurasian minnows and related species. This species is endemic to the coastal rivers of California, the most northerly population is in the Navarro River, then in the Russian River south to Tomales Bay, the drainage of San Francisco Bay but are absent in catchments south of there until the populations in the Salinas and Pajaro rivers. There is a population in the Soquel Creek in Santa Cruz County which was probably introduced from the Salinas River. The population in the Cuyama River may be native.
Range
Where it lives
Share of records by state
Habitat
Water and movement
- Water
- WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
Classification
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Superclass
- Actinopterygii
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Family
- Leuciscidae
- Genus
- Hesperoleucus
- Species
- Hesperoleucus venustus
- ITIS TSN
- 1199134
- WoRMS AphiaID
- 1511982
- GBIF key
- 2360051
Common questions about Coastal Roach
What is the scientific name of Coastal Roach?
Does Coastal Roach live in fresh water or salt water?
Where has Coastal Roach been recorded in the United States?
Closest relatives
Other Hesperoleucus species
Same family