It is here placed in Luciobarbus following the IUCN, but that genus is very closely related to the other typical barbels and perhaps better considered a mere subgenus of Barbus.

This literally means "Mediterranean Barbel" in English, but that common name is usually applied to the closely related Barbus meridionalis, of whose scientific name it is an equivalent.

[1] It is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN and its numbers will probably decrease by about one-third until 2020.

Certain planned damming projects are likely to severely impact the species' stocks.

[1] L. guiraonis is listed in Annex V of the European Union's Habitats Directive to allow its taking from the wild to be legally restricted, and – as Barbus capito, which actually refers to its Central Asian relative, the Bulatmai barbel – as Protected Species in Appendix III of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.