 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".The Ebro barbel ("L. graellsii") and Andalusian barbel ("L. sclateri") were formerly included in "L. bocagei" as subspecies.Natural hybrids of this barbel and the closely related Iberian Barbel ("L. comizo", a threatened species) are not uncommon in the middle Tagus river.