Albanian Roach

Pachychilon pictum has its dorsal fin supported by 3 spines and between 7 and 9 softs rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and between 8 and 10 soft rays. The main feature that distinguishes this species from P. macedonicum is the many variously shaped and sized brown markings on the body,, with a dark midlateral stripe which fades on preserved specimens. The lower lip is thick with a long lobe in the middle. There are between 40 and 44 pored scales along the lateral line and the anal fin has 8 to 10+1⁄2 branched fin rays. This species has a maximum standard length of 12 cm (4.7 in).

Pachychilon pictum is endemic to the Western Balkans where it is found from the Bojana River in Montenegro and northern Albania to the Vjosa in southern Albania and Greece, it is found in the drainages of Lake Ohrid and Lake Skadar. The native range is in Albania, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. Introduced populations are found in the Adour, Dordogne, Garonne and Aude rivers in France and in the Serchio system and Lake Massaciuccoli in Tuscany, Italy. The Albanian roach prefers slow-moving river stretches, backwaters, side channels and large oligotrophic lakes. It may also be found in canals and reservoirs.

== References ==

Pachychilon pictum is a member of the genus Pachychilon a name which combine pachys, meaning thick, with chilon, a latinisation of cheilos, which means lips, a reference to the thick lips of the fishes in this genus. The specific name, pictum, means "painted", an allusion to the variously sized and located dark brown marks on the body.