Capoeta is a genus of cyprinids from the rivers and lakes of the Caucasus, Anatolia, and the Middle East through into Central Asia, with the atlas's 28 species drawn from Iran, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Iraq, Syria, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan. Many are known in the region as 'scrapers' — several species carry that common name directly, such as the Large Scale Scraper (C. aculeata), the Alborz Scraper (C. alborzensis), and the Taurus Scraper (C. caelestis) — a reference to a hardened, blade-like lower-jaw structure used to graze algae and biofilm from rocks in flowing water. The genus spans a striking size range, from smaller stream barbs to substantial river fish reaching roughly 27 in, and several populations are known to migrate seasonally within their river systems to spawn.
Capoeta is primarily of regional and scientific interest rather than a mainstay of the international aquarium trade; several species, including C. capoeta and C. damascina, are also traditional food fish across their range. Because many are cool-water, current-loving cyprinids from montane and semi-arid drainages, the handful that reach hobbyists tend to need spacious, well-oxygenated tanks with strong flow rather than a typical warm community setup. Assessment coverage across the genus is thin — most species are listed Not Evaluated — but among those that have been assessed there is a Critically Endangered species and a Vulnerable one, suggesting some Capoeta populations in this heavily dammed, geopolitically fragmented region are under real pressure.