Leuciscus heckelii Nordmann, 1840 Rutilus heckelii is a species of roach, a genus in the family Cyprinidae.

This species occurs in freshened areas of Black and Azov Seas, entering the Don, Kuban, Dnipro, Dnister and rarely Danube drainages.

[2] Newer research, however, suggests that R. heckelii is part of a more widely distributed species of roach, whose range extends to Siberia.

The proper name of that species is Rutilus lacustris.

[3] In Russia, other countries of the former Soviet Union and parts of Eastern Europe, this and related species of roach are commonly air-dried and salted to create a popular beer snack, known as 'taran' or 'taranka', after the Russian word for this fish species, 'тарань'.