First record of Rutilus virgo (Actinopterygii, Cypriniformes, Leuciscidae) from the Lower Danube in Bulgaria

Five adult specimens of cactus roach, Rutilus virgo (Heckel, 1852), were collected from the westernmost section of the Bulgarian stretch of the Danube River (rkm 769–844) in April 2025, during the period of spring high waters. This finding constitutes the first confirmed and documented record of the species in Bulgaria. All specimens were in a potential spawning condition, exhibiting mature gonads, and the males displayed well-developed tubercles on the head and front part of the body.