Commercial fish of the perch family. Perc family (Percidae) What fish belong to the perch family

Atperch fish, the first two rays in the anal fin are in the form of spines. The dorsal fin consists of two parts: prickly and soft, which in some species are connected, in others they are isolated. The jaws have bristle-shaped teeth, some species have fangs. The scales are ctenondic. This family includes over 160 species belonging to nine genera. Perch - inhabitants of fresh and brackish waters of the northern hemisphere.
1 - Common ruff (G. cernua),
2 - Common chop (A. zingel),
3 - Common zander (S. lucioperca),
4 - Bersh (S. volgensis),
5 - Balkhash perch (P. schrenki),
6 - Common perch (P. fluviatilis),
7 - eteostomy (E. Pallidida),
8 - percarina (P. demidoffi). In this family, two subfamilies are distinguished - perch-like (Percinae) and zander-like (Luciopercinae). The differences between them are determined by the degree of development of the interhemal ossicles, spines in the anal fin, and the lateral line. Parallel evolution has resulted in convergently similar small benthic fish with reduced swim bladder. In representatives of the perch-like subfamily (ruffs, perches, percarines, North American darters), the anterior interhemal bone is more developed than the rest, the spines in the anal fin are strong, and the lateral line does not extend onto the caudal fin.
The most widespread are perch (North America, Europe, North Asia), then pike perch (North America and Europe) and ruffs (Europe and North Asia). Chops, sculpin and perkarina are found only in the Azov-Black Sea basin, darters - in North America.
Fish of the perch genus (Regsa) have two dorsal fins. The cheeks are completely covered with scales. The operculum has one flat spine, the preoperculum is serrated behind, with hooked spines below. Bristle-shaped teeth are located in several rows on the jaws, palatine, externary, on the pharyngeal bones; there are no fangs. This genus includes three types of perch: common, yellow and Balkhash perch.
Common perch (P. fluviatilis) is found in Europe (except Spain, Italy, Northern Scandinavia), in Northern Asia, up to the Kolyma basin, but it is not found in Lakes Balkhash, Issyk-Kul and in the Amur basin, with the exception of Lake Kenon near Chita , where he was introduced at the beginning of the 19th century, took root well there and became commercial fish. At the end of the last century, it was introduced into the reservoirs of Australia. It lives in lakes, reservoirs, rivers, flowing ponds, brackish and even alpine lakes (at an altitude of 1000 m). In some lakes - the only representative of the ichthyofauna.
The perch is beautifully and brightly colored: dark green back, greenish-yellow sides dotted with 5-9 dark transverse stripes; caudal, anal, pelvic fins bright red, pectoral fins yellow. The first dorsal is gray with a large black spot in the back, the second is greenish yellow. The eyes are orange. However, depending on the reservoir, its color changes. In forest peat lakes, for example, it is completely dark.
In large lakes and reservoirs, it forms ecological forms confined to different parts of the reservoir: small coastal, grass perch and large deep. Grass perch grows slowly, in its diet great importance has zooplankton, insect larvae. Deep perch - a predator, grows quickly. The largest individuals reach a length of 40 cm and a mass of more than 2 kg (a perch 55 cm long and weighing 3 kg was noted). Large perches look humpbacked, as they grow more in height and thickness than in length. Sexual maturity is reached early: males - at 1-2 years, females - at 3 years and later. The latter, depending on the size, lay 12-300 and even 900 thousand eggs. They spawn at temperatures from 7-8 to 15°C. Caviar is laid on last year's vegetation, snags, roots, willow branches, and even on the ground. Masonry is a hollow mesh tube of gelatinous substance, the walls of which have a cellular structure. Eggs are arranged in 2-3 pieces on each side of the cell. The diameter of the developing egg is about 3.5 mm. The yolk contains a large fat droplet. The masonry, hung on various objects, resembles lace ribbons. The length and width of the clutch depends on the size of the female. In small ones, its length ranges from 12 to 40 cm, in large ones it reaches 1 m or more. In the coastal zone, short clutches are more common, and larger ones at depth. This can be judged by measuring the masonry laid on spruce brooms that were previously lowered to different depths, which are artificial spawning grounds. The gelatinous substance in which the eggs are enclosed probably protects them from saprolegnia (mold fungus) and enemies - various invertebrates and fish. In some lakes, which are not very deep and sufficiently transparent, one can count the number of laid eggs and thus determine the absolute number of females in the spawning part of the herd. In the first year of life, small perches - "spiky" in rivers stay in coastal thickets, in lakes and reservoirs they show wide ecological plasticity in terms of food choice. Some behave like true planktophages, feeding in the pelagial, others stick to coastal thickets, feeding on invertebrates or preying there. Perch can move to predatory food already at a length of 2-4 cm, but usually becomes a predator at a length of more than 10 cm. It feeds on both the juveniles of other species and its own, its cannibalism is especially pronounced in lakes, where it is the only representative of the ichthyofauna. For the growth of 1 kg of perch, 5.5 kg of other fish is spent.
The perch makes small movements to the places of spawning and fattening. From large rivers and lakes, it often rises to the tributaries for spawning and spawns on the spill. After spawning, it makes feeding migrations, for example, to the lakes of the Meshcherskaya lowland, located in the floodplain of the Ira and Oka rivers, in July it comes to fattening numerous juveniles. In winter, perch leave the lakes, because due to a decrease in the oxygen content in the water, the living conditions in them deteriorate sharply.
The wide distribution and high abundance made perch an accessible prey for many fish (catfish, pike, pike perch, burbot). Birds (gulls, terns) also attack him. Perch are caught in significant numbers, up to half of the fish catch in some lakes. Due to the huge voracity and behavioral characteristics of the perch, amateur fishermen catch it throughout the year with a variety of gear: float rods, mugs, a track for a mormyshka, and a sheer lure. Perch takes willingly; often, having fallen off the hook, he grabs the nozzle again and again until he is completely hooked. This fish is insensitive to pain. Anglers have seen how a perch, catching an eye on a hook and thus losing it, soon fell on the same hook, seduced by its own eye. He is not afraid of noise. In the Neman delta, even a special method of winter fishing is used, in which it is lured by blows on an oak board, lowered end into the hole. To catch a large perch, anglers on the lakes Leningrad region make a noise with the rod, slightly reminiscent of the noise of a jumping fish. Perch often keeps among the piles of destroyed mill dams, near large stones, hiding near flooded snags. Small perches climb inside cans and even bottles placed on the bottom. Thus they are caught by small anglers.
In lakes, reservoirs and ponds rich in valuable commercial species (whitefish, trout, bream, carp, pike perch), perch is a weedy fish: it feeds on the same food as commercial fish and eats their caviar. In such reservoirs, it is necessary to reduce the number of perch - to increase its catch, and most importantly, to limit reproduction. For this purpose, artificial spawning grounds are placed in the reservoir, which are then removed with the perch caviar deposited on them.
In the second half of the XIX century. common perch from the UK was transported to the waters of Tasmania, Australia, and somewhat later New Zealand, and everywhere it took root well. spawning passes in early spring- in July - August, at a water temperature of 10-12°C. The regulation of rivers contributes to the growth of its population. It is valued as an excellent object of sport fishing. Introduction of perch to some water bodies South Africa was unsuccessful, although in the first years after the introduction there was an outbreak of its numbers.
Balkhash perch (P. schrenki) is common in Balkhash and Alakul, in the Ili River and lakes of its floodplain. It differs from the common perch in its lighter coloration, more elongated body, the absence of a black spot on the dorsal fin and transverse dark stripes in adult fish, a lower first dorsal fin, and a protruding lower jaw. He lives in a variety of conditions, found both in fast rivers of the semi-mountain type, and in heavily overgrown ponds. In Balkhash it forms two forms: pelagic and coastal. The coastal perch feeds on zooplankton, benthos, grows slowly, at the age of 8 years it has a length of 12-15 cm, a weight of 25-50 g. kg. By the nature of feeding, this species is a predator; it feeds on chars, juveniles of other species, but especially often eats its own juveniles. When the water warms up to more than 20°C, the feeding intensity of the perch decreases, it moves away from the shores. In autumn it feeds on perch underyearlings, which form significant concentrations in the coastal zone, but stops feeding in winter. Spawning in the Western part of Balkhash takes place in April, in the Eastern part - in May. The main spawning grounds are desalinated shallow areas along the coastline, as well as in the Ili delta. Balkhash perch reaches a length of 50 cm and a mass of 1.5 kg. Near the borders of its range, it interbreeds with common perch. Such hybrids are found in a number of lakes in Northern Kazakhstan. In Balkhash, before the introduction of zander, perch was a commercial fish, it was caught and prepared in salted, dried and frozen form. Universe in Balkhash perch in in large numbers consumes perch, as a result, the number of the latter has greatly decreased.
Yellow perch (P. flavescens) is common in North America, east of the Rocky Mountains, the northern limit of its range is the Great Slave Lake, James Bay. Nova Scotia: southern - Kansas, headwaters of the Missouri. Along the Atlantic coast, the range extends south and borders Florida and Alabama. In structure and way of life, this species is very close to the common perch, differing from it in color. Olive on the back, it fades to golden yellow on the flanks and white on the belly. There are eight transverse dark stripes along the body. Maximum weight up to 1.6 kg. Fertility - 75 thousand eggs. It is an important object of sport fishing, especially in the Great Lakes, at all seasons of the year. The usual catch of fishermen is perch weighing 100-300 g, in some lakes perch weighing 400-800 g are quite often caught. In the northern lakes, where the average weight of perch in catches is 200 g and more, commercial fishing is developed.
The genus of ruffs (Gymnocephalus) is characterized by the fact that the prickly and soft parts of the dorsal fin are fused together, there are large cavities of sensory canals on the head, and the teeth on the jaws are bristle-shaped. Four types of ruffs are known: ordinary, Danube, privet, striped.
Common ruff (G. cernua) is common in Europe, west to France, and in North Asia, up to the Kolyma. It is not found in Spain, Italy, Greece, the Transcaucasus and the Amur basin. Inhabits bays of large rivers, small tributaries, lakes, flowing ponds. Prefers slow flowing waters and avoids northern fast flowing rivers.
Its back is gray-green with blackish spots and dots, its sides are somewhat yellowish, and its belly is whitish. Dorsal and caudal fins with black dots. The color of the fish depends on the habitat: the ruff is lighter in rivers and lakes with a sandy bottom than with a muddy one. The eyes of the ruff have a dull purple, sometimes even a bluish iris. The usual length is 8-12 cm, weight 15-25 g, sometimes reaches a length of more than 20 cm and a weight of more than 100 g. Large specimens are found in Siberian rivers, the Gulf of Ob, and some Ural lakes. In most reservoirs, ruff matures at 2-3 years, sometimes males spawn at the age of one year. In the reservoirs of Karelia, the Bukhtarma reservoir, the Yenisei reaches sexual maturity at 3-4 years, and in the Gulf of Ob - even at 5 years. Accordingly, life expectancy increases. The age limit for ruff in catches from different water bodies ranges from 7 to 12-13 years. Its spawning usually begins at a temperature of 6-8 and ends at 18-20°C. In one spawning season, females spawn several portions of caviar. The total fecundity of individuals 15-18 cm long is up to 100 thousand eggs. Caviar with a diameter of about 1 mm has a large fat drop and a sticky shell. Females scatter eggs, which are attached to grains of sand, pebbles, less often to underwater plant roots, woody remains. Immediately after hatching, young ruffs feed on zooplankton, but soon switch to feeding on benthos. The activity of the ruff increases at dusk and at night, at which time it goes out into shallow water and actively feeds. At the same time, it consumes 14.4 g of chironomid larvae per 1 kg of mass, 6 times more than bream.
It feeds throughout the year. Early maturation, high fecundity provide a rapid increase in its numbers in the reservoir. Ruff has a detrimental effect on the conditions for fattening valuable commercial fish, especially bream.
The content of ruffs in the aquarium allows you to follow some aspects of his behavior. Ruffs, released into the aquarium, immediately hid in the corners, and some hid in a specially placed shelter - a flower pot. Soon a struggle began between the fish for possession of a shelter. They drove each other out, hitting the enemy with their snouts, pulling the fins, tearing off the scales. After several days of struggle, one of the ruffs firmly took possession of the shelter and did not let any of his relatives close, who huddled in the corners of the aquarium and soon died. The remaining ruff almost did not leave the shelter, jumping out only for a moment to grab food. The perch that lived for some time in the aquarium sometimes climbed into his shelter, and they peacefully, side by side, spent the whole day. Other fish in the aquarium: verkhovka, minnows, silver bream - ruff did not notice. With the onset of spring, he perked up, began to show aggressiveness towards other fish. At the sight of food with splayed fins, he jumped out of the shelter, drove away all the fish and did not let anyone near the food until he had eaten himself. It is possible that the ruff also drives other fish away from their feeding areas in the reservoir. It is known from fishing practice that in places rich in ruff, no other fish, except perch, is found. An increase in the number of ruff in water bodies is very undesirable. To combat it, it is necessary to maintain a high number of predatory fish, especially pike perch, and also to actively catch ruff in spawning grounds.
Nosar, or privet (G. acerina) differs from the ruff in a long snout and smaller scales. It occurs in the basins of the Black and Azov Seas, in the Dniester, the Southern Bug, the Dnieper, the Don, the Kuban and the Donets in a fairly fast current, where the common ruff is usually absent. The color of the body is yellowish, the back is mostly olive green, the belly is silvery white, and there are several rows of dark spots on the sides of the body and dorsal fin, which makes the fish seem very colorful. The ruff is somewhat larger than the ruff, its usual length is 8-13 cm, 16-20 cm in length are quite common. They spawn in spring, before ruff, in fast-flowing rivers, on clean sandy ground. Caviar bottom, sticky, with a large fat drop. Due to the low water temperature, development is slow. At a temperature of 14°C hatching occurs in 7-8 days. The hatched larvae are slightly larger than 4 mm and spend a significant part of their time in the bottom layers. The yolk dissolves after 9-10 days, during this period the larvae are photophilous, lead a pelagic lifestyle and are carried downstream down the river. It feeds on various benthic invertebrates and small fish. The meat of the privet is tender, fishermen highly appreciate the privet fish soup.
Striped ruff (G. schraetser) is common in the Danube, from Bavaria up to the delta, comes across in the Black Sea before the mouth of the Danube, in the Kamchia River (Bulgaria). It has 3-4 black longitudinal stripes on its sides. The length of the striped ruff is 20-24 cm. Like a privet, it prefers fast-flowing waters with a sandy-stony bottom.
The Danube ruff (G. baloni) is found only in the Danube basin and, like the common ruff, prefers the slowly flowing waters of the plains.
The genus Percarina (Percarina) with one species (P. demidoffi) is close to ruffs, but differs in that these fish have two dorsal fins, although they are in contact. The prelid is provided with spikes along the edge. The posterior edge of the gill cover rests on a spine located on the upper part of the cleithrum. The scales are thin, easily falling off. Perkarina lives in the northern, slightly saline parts of the Black and Azov Seas. This little fish (the maximum length is about 10 cm) has a yellowish body color with a pinkish-purple tint on the back, silvery sides and belly. there are several dark spots on the back at the base of the dorsal fin, all fins are transparent, without spots.
Perkarina begins to breed in the second year of life, spawns in portions, spawns throughout the summer, from June to August. Caviar is small, sticks to the substrate at the bottom. The hatched larvae first lie on the bottom, then from time to time begin to float up, and after two days they rise to the surface and switch to a pelagic way of life. The juveniles feed on small invertebrates, then exclusively on the crustacean calanipeda and mysids, and upon reaching a length of 4 cm, on juvenile gobies and sprats. At different times of the day, percarina feeds on different organisms: during the daytime it consumes crustaceans, and at night it mainly consumes sprat. Perkarina hunts for kilka, guided by the organs of the lateral line, which are well developed in her. it weed fish, it secretes a lot of mucus and therefore, when caught together with sprat, the value of the catches of the latter is greatly reduced. Percarina feeds on pike perch.
American darters belong to three genera: pepper (Percina, 30 species), ammocrypta (Ammocrypta, five species), and eteostoma (Etheostoma, 84 species). Distributed in the eastern part of North America: the western border of their range lies near the Rocky Mountains, the northern one - in the south of Canada, the southern one - in the north of Mexico. Darters are small fish, their usual length is 3-10 cm. Only a very few reach 15-20 cm. The preoperculum is completely smooth along the edge or in some it is slightly serrated, the mouth is small. Two dorsal fins, the first spiny usually lower than the second, supported by soft rays. The tail fin is rounded. The pectoral fins are very large, they help to stay on the ground and make quick throws when moving. In connection with the bottom way of life, a reduction of the swim bladder is observed, which is completely absent in species of the genus Eteostoma. The coloration of most species is very bright, variegated, as a result of a combination of different shades of pink, red, yellow, green and dark spots.
Darters are found in various types of water bodies, but most of them prefer streams and small rivers with fast current. They stay near the bottom, hiding under stones or, if the ground is sandy, burrowing into it. When danger approaches, they are fast, like an arrow from a bow (hence their English name darter), take off, move a short distance and, just as suddenly stopping, hide again under stones or in the ground.
Life expectancy is not more than 5-7 years. They become sexually mature in the third year of life. Females have a genital papilla, which is especially well developed in large individuals. In males of many species during spawning, a nuptial attire appears: epithelial tubercles develop on the lower part of the sides of the body and on the belly, and the brightness of the color increases. Many darters form pairs, among them there are peculiar spawning games, fights of males. Species take care of their offspring by guarding their eggs. Others do not directly protect the eggs, but, being near the spawning ground, they are always ready to protect their spawning area from the invasion of other individuals. But there are species that, having buried their eggs to a depth of several millimeters, leave the sites and never visit them again.
Darters feed mainly on insect larvae: chironomids, mayflies and stoneflies. The lightning speed of their movements, the ability to hide make it difficult for other fish to hunt them. But in some waters they are an important food for sport fish, especially trout. They are used as bait for fishing. Some artificial lures mimic appearance darters. The species diversity of darters is enormous; their fauna has not been fully studied.
Subfamily zander-like (Luciopercinae). They have interhemal ossicles of the same size, the spines in the anal fin are weak, and the lateral line reaches the caudal fin. Pike-perch-like ones include pike-perch, chops, and Romanian sculpin perch.
Genus pike perch (Stizostedion, or Lucioperca). In zander, the body is elongated, the pelvic fins are spread wider than in perches, the lateral line continues to the caudal fin, and there are usually fangs on the jaw and palatine bones. The genus includes five species: common zander, bersh, sea zander live in the waters of Europe; Canadian and lightfin zander - in the eastern part of North America.
Common zander (S. lucioperca). Pike-perch have 19-24 branched rays in the second dorsal fin, and 11-13 in the anal fin, the cheeks (preoperculum) are bare or partially covered with scales, the fangs on the jaws are strong. This is the largest representative of perch fish, reaching a length of 130 cm and a weight of 20 kg. The usual length of pike perch is 60-70 cm, weight 2-4 kg. The back of the walleye is greenish-gray, with 8-12 brown-black stripes on the sides. The dorsal and caudal fins have dark spots, the rest are pale yellow. Pike perch is common in the basin of the Baltic, Black, Azov and Aral Seas and in the Marina River, which flows into the Aegean Sea. The range of pike perch is expanding due to active human activity. AT late XIX in. it has been introduced to some UK lakes. In the 1950s, pike perch was introduced into Issyk-Kul, Balkhash, Biylikul, Chebarkul lakes (Chelyabinsk region), and into the Ust-Kamenogorsk reservoir. Within the limits of its natural range, it is settled in reservoirs where it was previously absent: in some lakes of Karelia, Latvia, in the reservoirs named after. Moscow, Moskvoretskaya system and other reservoirs.
According to the way of life, two forms of pike perch are distinguished: residential, or non-water, and semi-anadromous. Residential zander inhabits rivers and clean lakes. In lakes and reservoirs, it lives in the pelagic zone, where it stays at different depths depending on the location of the main objects of its nutrition, the oxygen content and the temperature of the living water. Pike prefers a temperature of 14-18°C. Avoids water bodies with unfavorable oxygen conditions. The semi-anadromous pike perch is common in the brackish waters of the southern seas of Russia and rises to the rivers Dnieper, Volga, Ural, Don, Kuban for spawning. Becomes sexually mature at 3-5 years, living somewhat later - at 4-7 years. His caviar is small, the fecundity is high, for example, the Kuban pike perch has from 200 thousand to 1 million eggs. Spring spawning occurs in the coastal zone, at dawn. The place for laying eggs is chosen by the male and clears it of silt. Spawning substrate can be very different. In the Don, Kuban, Volga, the female lays eggs on vegetation, in many lakes and reservoirs - on the sand, and in the Curonian Lagoon Baltic Sea- on the stones. Such plasticity of pike perch in relation to the substrate contributes to the fact that this fish successfully lays eggs on artificial spawning grounds (spruce branches, bast, synthetic fibers sewn to burlap, on slate sheets). The male guards the laid eggs, protects them from silting, washing away the settling silt with frequent and strong movements of the pectoral fins. Actively protects eggs from other pike perch, but almost does not pay attention to other fish scurrying around: roach, perch, stickleback; moreover, roach often lays eggs in the zander nest, which is a kind of "nesting parasitism". If the "sentry" zander leaves the nest, it is sometimes replaced by another one.
The rate of development of eggs depends on temperature: at 9-11°C, the larvae hatch after 10-11 days, at 18(20) after 3-4 days. After absorption of the yolk sac, the larvae feed on zooplankton. : mysids, cumaceans, as well as juvenile fish.If juvenile zander is provided with suitable food, they grow quickly and reach a length of 10-15 cm by autumn. swallows a fish that is moving, therefore its favorite food in the northern lakes is smelt, roach, in the lakes of the middle zone - ruff, perch, bleak, roach, in the southern seas - kilka, gobies.Thus, pike perch feeds mainly on low-value fish.Per 1 kg mass it consumes 3.3 kg of other fish.This is less than required by pike and perch.Therefore, it is willingly bred in different water bodies.The growth rate of zander in different water bodies is different.In the northern lakes and reservoirs, it grows much worse e, than in the southern ones, the semi-anadromous pike grows faster than the residential pike perch of most populations. Accordingly, the age of puberty also fluctuates greatly. Semi-anadromous zander becomes sexually mature on average at the age of 3-5 years, residential - later - at 4-7 years. The zander also has enemies. Its larvae feed on invertebrates, especially cyclops. Juvenile pike perch, pike, eel, catfish consume.
Pike perch is a very valuable commercial fish. It is also caught by amateur fishermen. It is best caught in the morning, in the evening or at night. After regulation of the flow of rivers in the southern seas of Russia, the natural conditions for pike perch spawning deteriorated. Currently, most of the pike perch is reproduced in special fish farms. It becomes an important commercial fish in the reservoirs of the European part of Russia, as well as in the lakes Balkhash, Issyk-Kul, in the Bukhtarma reservoir.
Bersh (S. volgensis) differs from zander in that it has no fangs on the lower jaw and the preoperculum is completely covered with scales. The length of the bersh is less than that of zander: it reaches 45 cm and weighs 1.2-1.4 kg. Lives in the rivers of the Caspian, Azov and Black moraines, mainly in the lower and middle reaches. Basically, it is a fish of the lower reaches of the rivers, but it enters the Caspian Sea, it is common in the southern reservoirs - Tsimlyansk, Volgograd, Kuibyshev. But as we move north, the timing of spawning shifts from April - May in the Volga delta to May - June to the Kuibyshev reservoir. After hatching, the larvae feed on small zooplankton, and when they reach a length of 40 mm or more, they switch to feeding on benthos. The transition to predatory feeding on fish (underyearlings of cyprinids and perch fish) is observed in the bersh in the second year of life. Bersh longer than 15 cm feeds exclusively on fish. Due to the lack of fangs and relatively narrow throat, it cannot capture and swallow large prey. The length of the prey ranges from 0.5 to 7.5 cm, but usually 3-5 cm. Adult bershi are intensively fattened in the spring with overwintered yearlings and grown-up fish fingerlings in the autumn, in summer the intensity of its feeding decreases.
The pike perch (S. marina), like the common one, has fangs on the jaws, but it differs in the number of branched rays on the anal fin, which it has less (15-18 versus 19-24). Sea pike perch, common in the north-western part of the Black Sea, singly enters the mouths of the Danube, the Bug; zander living in the middle and southern Caspian avoids desalinated areas. Its length reaches 50-60 cm, weight up to 2 kg. Sexual maturity occurs at 2-4 years. The caviar is larger than that of the common zander. Depending on the size, fertility ranges from 13,000 to 126,000 eggs. For breeding comes to the coast. Spawns in spring on rocky ground. The sea pike-perch takes care of the caviar and protects it from being eaten by numerous gobies. This fish is a predator, whose food is sprats, slats, herring fry, shrimps. Its commercial value is small.
North American pike perch - lightfin (S. vitreum) and Canadian (S. canadense) - according to a number of morphological features, are closer to sea pike perch than to ordinary pike perch. In terms of distribution, in relation to salinity and size, the light-finned pike-perch is to some extent an analogue of the common pike-perch, and the Canadian one is the bersh. The range of the first extends along the Atlantic coast, from Quebec, through New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, then along the western slope of the Appalachians goes south to Alabama and east to Oklahoma. In the north and along the Mackenzie River, lightfin zander almost reach the waters of the Arctic. The range of the Canadian walleye is narrower. From the north it is bounded by the basin of the Saskatchewan River and the James Bay, in the east by the western part of the state of Virginia, in the south by the Tennessee rivers in Alabama and the Red River in Texas. The western border runs through the states of Kansas, Wyoming, and Montana. Both species prefer large rivers and lakes. Lightfin zander enters desalinated areas of some bays Atlantic Ocean.
Dull yellow-olive coloration on the back and sides of the light-finned zander turns into white on the belly. On the sides there are 6-7 transverse stripes. The presence of a dark spot at the caudal fin and on the back of the first dorsal fin, a peculiar silvery or milky-white coloration of the end of the lower lobe of the caudal fin make it easy to distinguish it from the Canadian zander. They differ among themselves and in the number of pyloric appendages. The scatterfin has three and they are long, while the Canadian walleye has 3-9 (usually five) and is short. The maximum weight of the lightfin zander in catches is 4.8-6.4 kg, as an exception 8 kg, and the Canadian - 3.2 kg.
The fecundity of lightfin zander is 25-700 thousand eggs. Spawning usually occurs at night, after spawning, pike perch leave the spawning ground, they do not care about the laid eggs. Depending on feeding conditions, juveniles grow up to 10-30 cm during the summer. In the southern part of the range, they mature in the third year and live no more than 6-7 years. In the north, it grows more slowly, matures at 4-5 years, life expectancy increases to 12-15 years. This fish is a favorite object of sport fishing. Much about the life of pike perch has become known thanks to the observations of amateur fishermen. It turned out that they prefer to stay in the bottom layers of water, near sandy spits, forming small clusters. Actively takes the bait after sunset; a bait that closely mimics the live fish it feeds on in nature is the best.
Chopa genus (Zingel, or Aspro) differs from ruffs in spindle-cylindrical body shape, two noticeably spaced dorsal fins, and a smooth lower edge of the preoperculum. The genus includes three species: common, small and French chop. Common chop (A. zingel) lives in the Danube and its tributaries, from Bavaria to the delta, and in the Dniester. The color of the body is grayish-yellow, on the sides there are four dark brown stripes. Reaches a length of 30-40 cm, the maximum length is 48 cm. big rivers found in the channel part; Feeds on benthic invertebrates and small fish. Spawns eggs in March-April in the riverbed, on pebbles. Caviar small, sticky. Small chop (Z. streber) is common in the Danube and its tributaries, like an ordinary chop, and in the Vardar River (Aegean Sea basin). Compared to an ordinary chop, it has a more bouncy body; keeps in areas with even faster current. French chop (Z. asper) lives in the Rhone basin, in appearance and lifestyle is close to the small chop.
Sculpin (Romanichthys) with one species of R. valsnicola. First described in 1957 from small tributaries of the upper section of the Argesh River (Danube basin). Shows significant convergent similarity to American darter. The preoperculum has a smooth edge. The pectoral and ventral fins are quite large, there are two dorsal fins, and the genital papilla (genital papilla) is well developed. The sculpin reaches a length of 12.5 cm. It lives in mountain rivers, usually hides under stones, and feeds on stonefly larvae and other rheophilic species. It can probably already be classified as an endangered species, as the construction of dams, deforestation, land use for crops, water pollution chemicals changed a lot ecological situation in his habitats. The reduction in its number was facilitated not only by abiotic factors, but also by the exacerbation competitive relations with some loaches and cyprinids, which turned out to be more adapted to the changed conditions.

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In perch fish, the anal fin contains 1-3 spines. The dorsal fin consists of two parts: prickly and soft, which are connected in some species, separate in others. On the jaws are bristle-like teeth, among which in some species fangs sit. Scales ctenoid.

The perch family includes 9 genera and over 100 species. Perches are common in fresh and brackish waters of the northern hemisphere. The most widespread groupers(North America, Europe and North Asia), followed by zander(North America and Europe) and ruffs(Europe and North Asia).

Chops, sculpin and percarina found only in the Azov-Black Sea basin; pepper, ammocrypt, eteostomy- only in North America.

Fish kind Okuni(Regsa) have two dorsal fins, their caudal fin is notched. The cheeks are completely covered with scales. The operculum has one flat spine, the preoperculum is serrated posteriorly, with hooked spines below.

Bristle-shaped teeth are located in several rows on the jaws, vomer, palatine, externary pterygoid, on the pharyngeal bones; there are no fangs.

The perch genus contains 3 species: common perch, yellow perch and Balkhash perch.

common perch(Regsa fluviatilis) is one of the most common fish. It is found in Europe (except Spain, Italy, Northern Scandinavia) and in Asia, on the territory of the USSR. (Not in Lake Balkhash, in the Amur basin and east of the Kolyma. In 1919, it was introduced into the upper reaches of the Amur basin, into Lake Kenon, near the city of Chita. The perch took root well there and became a commercial fish.) It lives in various types of water bodies: lakes, reservoirs, rivers, flowing ponds and brackish lakes, and even in some mountain lakes at an altitude of 1000 m.

The perch is beautifully and brightly colored: dark green back, greenish-yellow sides dotted with 5-9 dark transverse stripes, caudal, anal, ventral fins are bright red, pectoral fins are yellow. The first dorsal fin is gray with a large black spot in its rear part, the second is greenish-yellow. The eyes are orange. However, the color of perch changes in different water bodies, and in forest peat lakes it becomes completely dark.

In large lakes and reservoirs, perch forms ecological forms confined to different parts of the reservoir: one is a small coastal, grassy perch; the other is deep. The grass perch grows slowly; zooplankton and insect larvae are of great importance in its nutrition. Deep perch is a predator, it grows quickly, reaches a considerable size. The largest perches reach a length of 40 cm and a weight of more than 2 kg (a perch of 55 cm and 3 kg has been noted). At the same time, they become humpbacked, as they grow more in height and thickness than in length.

Perches reach puberty early: males - at 1-2 years, females - at 3 years and later.

They spawn at temperatures from 7-8 to 15 ° C, in the reservoirs of the middle zone, following the pike. Caviar is laid on last year's vegetation, snags, roots, willow branches, and even just on the ground. The egg laying is a hollow mesh tube of gelatinous substance, the walls of which have a cellular structure. Eggs are arranged in 2-3 pieces on each side of the cell. The size of the developing egg is about 3.5 mm. The yolk contains a large fat droplet. The masonry, hung on various objects under water, resembles lace ribbons. The length and width of the masonry tape depends on the size of the female. In small ones, its length ranges from 12 to 40 cm, in large ones it reaches 1 m or more. In the coastal zone, numerous short clutches are more common, but sometimes large clutches can be found in a significant number in certain areas. But more often large masonry is swept out at a depth. This can be judged by measuring the masonry laid on spruce brooms previously lowered to different depths, the so-called artificial spawning grounds. The gelatinous substance in which the eggs are enclosed probably protects them from saprolegnia (mold fungus) and enemies - various invertebrates and fish. In some lakes, which are not very deep and sufficiently transparent, one can count the number of laid eggs and thus determine the absolute number of females in the spawning part of the herd.

Females, depending on their size, lay from 12 to 200-300 and even 900 thousand eggs.

In the first year, small perches - "ostrechenki" stay mainly in the coastal zone and consume the zooplankton of thickets. Perch can switch to predatory food early, already at a length of 4 cm; but usually it becomes a predator, reaching a length of 10 cm. The perch is especially predatory at the end of summer, when numerous grown-up fry of fish are plentiful, easily accessible food.

The perch makes small movements to the places of spawning and fattening. From large rivers or lakes, it often rises into tributaries and spawns on floods. After spawning, the perch makes feeding migrations. For example, in the lakes of the Meshcherskaya lowland, located in the floodplain of the Pra and Oka rivers, at the end of July, perch 10-14 cm long come to fatten numerous juvenile fish. The perch willingly feeds on its juveniles. It is more voracious than pike: 4.9 kg of other fish is spent per 1 kg of perch meat, and 3.5 kg per 1 kg of pike.

Due to its wide distribution and high abundance in water bodies, perch is an accessible prey for many fish. Catfish, pike, pike perch, burbot willingly feed on it. Seagulls, terns and osprey also attack him.

Perch are caught in significant numbers, accounting for half of the fish catch in some lakes. It is readily consumed by the local population. Due to the huge voracity and behavioral characteristics of perch, amateur fishermen easily catch it throughout the year with a variety of gear: float rods, circles, spinning, track, mormyshka, sheer lure. Perch takes willingly; often, having fallen off the hook, he grabs the nozzle again and again until he is completely hooked. There are cases when a perch, breaking off one hook, sits down on another in a few minutes. The perch is insensitive to pain. Anglers have seen how a perch, having hooked its eye on a hook and thus losing it, soon fell on the same hook, being seduced by its own eye. Often, large perches grab small fish caught in nets and go to fishermen as an unforeseen catch. Perch is not afraid of noise. In the Neman delta, even a special method of commercial winter fishing is used, in which the perch is lured by blows on an oak board, lowered at one end into the hole. To catch large perch, fishermen on the lakes in the Gatchina district of the Leningrad region make a noise with their rods, slightly reminiscent of the noise of a jumping fish. Perch often keeps among the piles of destroyed mill dams, near large stones, hiding near flooded snags. Small perches climb inside dark glass jars and even into bottles placed on the bottom. Thus they are caught by small anglers.

In lakes, reservoirs and ponds rich in valuable commercial species (whitefish, trout, bream, carp, pike perch), perch is a weedy fish: it feeds on the same food and eats the eggs laid by these fish. In such reservoirs, it is necessary to strive to reduce the number of perch - to increase its catch, and most importantly, to limit reproduction. For this purpose, artificial spawning grounds are placed in the reservoir, which are then removed along with the perch caviar deposited on them.

Balkhash perch(P. schrenki) distributed in the system of lakes Balkhash and Alakul, in the river. Or the lakes of its floodplain. It differs from the common one in a more elongated body, the absence of a black spot on the dorsal fin and transverse dark stripes in adult fish, a lower first dorsal fin, and a protruding lower jaw. It lives in a variety of conditions, it is found both in fast rivers of a semi-mountain type, for example, in the Ili River below the city of Iliysk, and in heavily overgrown lakes, where it sometimes has an almost black color. Spawning in April, for spawning from Balkhash goes to Ili. The Balkhash perch is a predator, it feeds on chars, juveniles of other species, but especially often eats its own juveniles. It grows slowly, reaches a length of 50 cm and a weight of 1.5 kg. In Balkhash, perch is a commercial species, it is harvested in salted, dried and frozen form. The meat of the Balkhash perch tastes like pike perch.

yellow perch(P. flavescens) in structure and lifestyle is very close to the common one. Perhaps it should be considered as a subspecies of the common. It is distributed in eastern North America and is an important sport fishery in the Great Lakes. In some lakes it is specially bred for this purpose.

Rod Sudaki(Stizostedion, or Lucioregsa). In zander, the body is elongated, the pelvic fins are wider apart than in perches, the lateral line is extended to the caudal fin, and there are usually fangs on the jaws and palatine bones.

There are 5 species in the genus pike perch: common zander, bersh, sea zander- in the waters of Europe, Canadian walleye and lightfin walleye in eastern North America.

common zander(S. lucioperca) is distinguished by the fact that in the second dorsal fin it has 19-24, and in the anal fin 11-13 branched rays, the cheeks (preoperculum) are bare or only partly covered with scales, the fangs on the jaws are strong. This is the largest representative of the perch family, reaching 120 cm in length and 12 kg in weight. The usual size of pike perch is 60-70 cm, weight 2-4 kg. The back of the walleye is greenish-gray, with 8-12 brown-black stripes on the sides. The dorsal and caudal fins have dark spots, the rest are pale yellow. Pike perch is common in the basins of the Baltic, Black, Azov, Caspian and Aral Seas, in the river. Maritsa, flowing into the Aegean Sea. The range of pike perch is expanding due to active human activity. At the end of the XIX century. it has been introduced to some lakes in England. In the 50s of the XX century, pike perch was transplanted into Issyk-Kul and Balkhash lakes, Biylikul lake and Ust-Kamenogorsk reservoir, Chebarkul lake (Chelyabinsk region). Within the natural range, it is settled in water bodies where it was previously absent: in some lakes of Karelia, the Latvian SSR, in the reservoirs of the Moscow Canal, the Mozhaisk reservoir.

According to the way of life, two biological forms of pike perch are distinguished: residential, or non-water, and semi-anadromous. Residential zander inhabits rivers and clean lakes. In lakes and reservoirs, it lives in the pelagic zone, where it stays at different depths depending on the location of the main food, oxygen content and water temperature. Pike perch prefers a water temperature of 14-18°C. He avoids water bodies with an unfavorable oxygen regime.

The semi-anadromous pike perch is common in the southern seas of the USSR in brackish water and rises into rivers for spawning. From the Black Sea it goes to the Dnieper, from the Azov Sea to the Don and Kuban, from the Caspian Sea to the Volga, to the floodplain flooded with spring floods. About 90% of the total pike perch catch comes from the semi-anadromous form.

Pike perch caviar is small and fecundity is high: in the Kuban, for example, from 200,000 eggs to 1,000,000. Spawning occurs at dawn, caviar is spawned within 1-2 hours. The place for laying eggs is chosen by the male and clears it of silt.

For spawning, pike perch uses a variety of substrates. In the Don, Kuban, Volga, he lays eggs on vegetation, in a large number of lakes and reservoirs - on sand, and in the Curonian Lagoon of the Baltic Sea - on stones. Such plasticity of zander in relation to the substrate contributes to the fact that zander successfully lays eggs on artificial spawning grounds (spruce branches; bast; synthetic fibers sewn to burlap stretched over a frame; on sheets of slate imitating a flat stone).

The rate of development of eggs depends on temperature: at 9-11°C, the larvae hatch in 10-11 days, at 18-22°C - after 3-4. After sucking the yolk sac, the larvae feed on zooplankton. In the second month, pike perch switches to feeding on large invertebrates - mysids, cumaceans, as well as juvenile fish. If juvenile pike perch is provided with suitable food all the time, it grows rapidly and reaches 10-15 cm by autumn. Pike perch feeds on relatively small prey, the main size of the prey of large pike perch is 8-10 cm. northern lakes are smelt, roach, in the middle lane - ruff, perch, bleak, roach, in the southern seas - sprat, gobies. Thus, pike perch feeds on low-value fish. For 1 kg of its weight, pike perch consumes 3.3 kg of other fish. This is less than what is required for pike and even more so for perch. Therefore, it is readily bred in different water bodies.

The Kuban pike perch grows faster than others, reaching puberty at 3-5 years. In the northern reservoirs, pike perch grows more slowly and reaches puberty later - at the age of 5-7 years.

The zander also has enemies. Its larvae feed on invertebrates, especially cyclops. Juvenile pike perch, pike, eel, catfish consume.

Pike perch is a very valuable commercial fish. Fishing enthusiasts also catch it, and it is caught only in the morning, in the evening or at night.

After regulation of the flow of rivers in the southern seas of the USSR, the natural conditions for spawning of zander deteriorated. Currently, most of the pike perch is reproduced in special fish farms. At the same time, zander is becoming an important commercial fish in reservoirs. temperate latitudes European part of the USSR.

Bersh(S. volgensis) differs from zander in that it has no fangs on the lower jaw and the preoperculum is completely covered with scales. Bersh is smaller than pike perch: it reaches a length of 45 cm and a weight of 1.2-1.4 kg. Bersh lives in the rivers of the Caspian, Azov and Black Seas, mainly in the lower and middle reaches. Mainly freshwater fish lower reaches of the rivers, but also goes to the Caspian Sea. It rises quite high along the Volga, there is in Sheksna, Beloozero, Kama.

Bersh is quite common in the southern reservoirs: Tsimlyansk, Volgograd, Kuibyshev. As you move north, the timing of spawning shifts to a later time. In the Volga delta, spawning occurs in April - May, and in the Kuibyshev reservoir - in May - June. After hatching, the larvae feed on small zooplankton, and when they reach a length of 40 mm or more, they switch to feeding on benthos. The transition to carnivorous feeding is observed in the Bersh in the second year of life. Its main food: underyearlings of carp and perch fish. Bersh more than 15 cm feeds exclusively on fish. Bersh is not able to capture (due to the lack of fangs) and swallow (narrow throat) large prey. The size of the prey ranges from 0.5 to 7.5 cm. Fish 6.0-7.5 cm are rare even in large ber-sheys (30-40 cm). The usual size of the prey is 3-5 cm. Bersh is intensively fattened in the spring with overwintered yearlings and in the autumn with grown-up yearlings of fish, in summer the feeding intensity decreases.

sea zander(S. marinus) differs from zander and bersh in having smaller eyes and a smaller number of branched rays in the dorsal fin. Distributed in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, in the middle and southern Caspian. Sea pike perch of the Caspian Sea does not enter the rivers and avoids desalinated areas. From the Dnieper-Bug estuary it singly enters the mouths of the Dnieper and the Bug. Reaches a length of 60 cm. The Caspian pike perch prefers dense soils. Sexual maturity is partially reached at the age of two. Spawns in spring on rocky areas. The caviar is larger than that of the common zander. Depending on the size, fertility ranges from 13,000 to 126,000 eggs. Sea pike-perch guards caviar, which gobies are especially hungry for. The main food of pike perch is gobies, sprats, slats, herring fry, shrimps. Its commercial value is small.

American zander are closer to sea zander than to ordinary and bersh.

Canadian walleye(S. canadense) resembles the color of the dorsal fins of an ordinary pike perch. It is distributed from Hudson Bay to Virginia, Oklahoma and Kansas. lightfin zander(S. vitreum) reaches 90 cm in length. Its dorsal fins do not have rounded dark spots, but at the end of the first dorsal fin there is a large black spot (like our perch). Its range extends much further north, including the Mackenzie River system, which flows into the Arctic Ocean.

Rod Ershi(Acerina) is characterized by the fact that the spiny and soft parts of the dorsal fin are fused together, there are large cavities of sensory canals on the head, and the teeth on the jaws are bristle-shaped.

There are three types of ruffs in the genus: common ruff, ruff, striped ruff.

common ruff(A. cernua) is distributed in Europe west to France and in northern Asia. It is not found in Spain, Italy, Greece, the Transcaucasus and the Amur basin.

In its vast range, it inhabits large rivers and small tributaries, lakes, flowing ponds. Avoids fast-flowing northern rivers. The back is gray-green with blackish spots and dots, the sides are somewhat yellowish, the belly is whitish. Dorsal and caudal fins with black dots. The color of the fish depends on the habitat: the ruff is lighter in rivers and lakes with a sandy bottom than with a muddy one. The eyes of the ruff are large, protruding, with a dull purple, sometimes even bluish iris. The usual size is 10-15 cm, weight 20-25 g, sometimes reaches a length of 25-30 cm and a weight of 200 g. Larger specimens, as a rarity, are found in Siberian rivers and Ural lakes. Numerous in reservoirs, especially in the middle zone of the European part of the USSR (Rybinsk, reservoirs of the Moscow Canal, etc.).

Ruff spawns in spring, in southern rivers - from April. In the Moscow region, spawning begins in the second half of May and ends in early July. Caviar about 1 mm in diameter, with a large fat drop. The female lays eggs several times. Individuals 8-10 cm long spawn 4-6 thousand eggs, and 15-18 cm - up to 100 thousand eggs.

The ruff feeds very intensively. At the same time, it consumes 14.4 g of chironomid larvae per 1 kg of weight, 6 times more than bream. Ruff is very voracious, he does not stop eating throughout the year.

Ruff ripens early, in two years it already spawns. Early maturation, high fecundity provide a rapid increase in its numbers in the reservoir. Ruff has a detrimental effect on the conditions for fattening valuable commercial fish, especially bream. In addition, ruff is a very active consumer of caviar of other fish species.

Immediately after hatching, the ruffe feeds on zooplankton, but soon switches to feeding on benthos.

The activity of the ruff increases at night, when it goes to smaller places and intensively fattens. It is difficult to observe a ruff in natural conditions. Observed ruffs in the aquarium in winter. About a dozen ruffs were released into a large aquarium. They hid in the corners, two or three hid in a shelter that was arranged in one of the corners. Soon a struggle began between them for possession of the shelter. They drove each other out, hitting the enemy with their snouts, pulling the fins, tearing off the scales. They were joined by other ruffs, sometimes all ten fish found themselves in a shelter. After several days of struggle, one of the ruffs firmly took possession of the shelter and did not let any of his relatives close, who huddled in the corners of the aquarium. Soon they all died. The ruff remaining in the aquarium almost did not leave the shelter, jumping out only for a moment to grab food. The perch, which lived for some time in the aquarium, climbed from time to time to his shelter, and they peacefully, side by side, spent the whole day. Other fish in the aquarium - verkhovka, minnows, silver bream - did not notice the ruff. With the onset of spring, the ruff perked up, began to show aggressive tendencies towards other fish. As soon as food was given, the ruff with splayed fins jumped out of the shelter, drove away all the fish and did not let anyone near the food until it had eaten itself. Possibly, in the reservoir the ruff also drives other fish away from their feeding grounds. It is known from fishing practice that in places rich in ruff, no other fish, except perch, is found.

Ruff grows slowly. The maximum age of a ruff in the reservoirs near Moscow is 7-8 years, in the Gulf of Finland the ruff lives up to 10 years. An increase in the number of ruff in water bodies is very undesirable. To combat it, it is necessary to maintain a high number of predatory fish, especially pike perch, and also to actively catch ruff in spawning grounds.

Nosar, or biryuchok(A. acerina), differs from the ruff in its long snout and smaller scales. Found only in fast flowing rivers. In such areas, it is much more numerous than the common ruff, which prefers lakes and flowing ponds. The general color of the body is yellowish, the back is mostly olive-green, the belly is silvery-white, and on the sides of the body and dorsal fin there are several rows of dark spots, which makes the fish seem very colorful. The ruff is somewhat larger than the ruff, its usual dimensions are 8-13 cm, 16-20 cm in length are quite common. Caviar bottom, sticky, with a large fat drop. Development is slow due to low temperatures. At a water temperature of 14 ° C, hatching occurs in 7-8 days. The size of hatched larvae is 4.3 mm. They spend most of their time in the bottom layers. The yolk dissolves after 9-10 days, during this period the larvae are photophilous, lead a pelagic lifestyle and are carried downstream down the river. It feeds on various benthic invertebrates and small fish. The meat of the biryuchka is tender. Anglers highly value privet fish soup.

striped ruff(A. schraetser) lives in the Danube, from Bavaria up to the delta, and comes across in the Black Sea before the mouth of the Danube. It has 3-4 black longitudinal stripes on the sides of the body. The length of the striped ruff reaches 20-24 cm.

Chops(Aspro) differ from ruffs in the fusiform-cylindrical body shape, the presence of two markedly spaced dorsal fins, and the smooth lower margin of the preoperculum.

Chop family includes 3 types: ordinary chop, small chop and French chop.

ordinary chop(A. zingel) has a grayish-yellow color, on the sides - 4 oblique dark brown stripes. It is distributed in the Danube and its tributaries from Bavaria to the delta. Reaches a length of 30-40 cm, sometimes up to 48 cm. Chop keeps near the bottom, in deep places, feeds on benthic invertebrates and small fish. Spawns caviar in March - April in the river bed, on pebbles. Caviar small, sticky.

small chop(A. streber) is common in the Danube and in the Vardar River, which flows into the Aegean Sea. french chop(A.asper) lives in the Rhone basin.

Perkarina(Percarina, one species of P. demidoffi) is close to ruffs, but differs in that there are two dorsal fins, although they are in contact. The prelid is provided with spikes along the edge. The posterior edge of the operculum rests on a spine located on the upper part of the clavicle. The scales are thin, easily falling off. Perkarina lives in the northern, slightly saline parts of the Black and Azov Seas. This is a small fish (about 10 cm), the body color is yellowish with a pinkish-purple tinge on the back, the sides and belly are silvery. There are several dark spots on the back at the base of the dorsal fin, all fins are transparent, without spots.

Perkarina begins to breed in the second year of life, spawns in portions, and spawning continues throughout the summer, from June to August. Caviar is small, sticks to the substrate at the bottom. The hatched larvae first lie on the bottom, then from time to time begin to float up, and after two days they rise to the surface and switch to a pelagic way of life. Juveniles feed on small invertebrates, then exclusively on crustaceans calanipeda and mysids, and upon reaching a length of 4 cm - on juvenile gobies and sprats. At different times of the day, percarina feeds on different organisms: during the daytime it consumes crustaceans, and at night it mainly consumes sprat. Probably, the kilka, which has good eyesight, is more accessible to perkarina at night. Perkarina hunts for kilka, guided by the organs of the lateral line, which are very well developed in her. Percarina feeds on pike perch. Perkarina is a weedy fish, it secretes a lot of mucus, and therefore, when it is caught along with sprat, the value of the catch is sharply reduced.

perch sculpin(Komanichthys, one species of K. valsanicola) was first described in 1957 from small mountain streams in Romania. Its preoperculum has a smooth edge. There are two dorsal fins. The pectoral and ventral fins are long. It is remarkable that the sculpin perch has a well-developed genital papilla (genital papilla), as in small American perches - darters. The sculpin reaches a length of 12.5 cm. It usually keeps under stones.

Three peculiar genera of American perches - peppercorn(Percina, 20 species), ammocrypt(Ammocrypta, 5 species), eteostomy(Etheostoma, about 74 species) are called darters. Darters are small fish, their usual length is 3-10 cm, only a few reach 15-18 cm.

The preoperculum in darters is completely smooth or slightly serrated in some, the mouth is small, the posterior margin of the maxilla is hidden under the preorbital. In connection with the bottom way of life, the reduction of the swim bladder is observed; it is completely absent in species of the genus Eteostoma (Etheostoma). Females have a genital papilla, which is especially well developed in large individuals. In males of many species, during spawning, epithelial tubercles develop in the lower part of the sides and on the belly, the so-called nuptial attire. Darters are found in various types of water bodies, but many of them prefer streams and small rivers with a fast current. They stay near the bottom, hide under stones or, if the ground is sandy, burrow into it. When danger approaches, they quickly, like an arrow from a bow (hence their English name darter), break away, move a short distance and, just as suddenly stopping, hide again under stones or in the ground. Some species stick to rocky areas with developed vegetation. They feed mainly on insect larvae: chironomids, mayflies and stoneflies.

Among the darters there are species that take care of their offspring, guarding the laid eggs. Others do not directly protect the eggs, but are located near the spawning ground, as if protecting the spawning area from other individuals of their species. But there are species that, having buried their eggs to a depth of several millimeters, leave these areas and never visit them again. Many species are characterized by the formation of pairs, peculiar spawning games, and fights between males.

The species diversity of darters is huge (about 100 species!), they inhabit such peculiar water bodies that there are probably still species that are still unknown to science. Until recently, new species have been described and the systematic names of already known species have been put in order.

Animal life: in 6 volumes. - M.: Enlightenment. Edited by professors N.A. Gladkov, A.V. Mikheev. - List of species listed in the Red Book Yaroslavl region published in 2004. 14 species of mushrooms, 173 species of plants and 172 species of animals were included in the Red Book of the Yaroslavl Region. The classification is given according to the edition. Contents 1 Kingdom Mushrooms ... ... Wikipedia

Below is a list of animals listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Mordovia. In square brackets after the name of each species, a numerical code indicating the rarity category is indicated: 0 probably disappeared on the territory of the Republic ... ... Wikipedia

common perch- (Perca fluviatilis) see also PERCIDAE FAMILY The common perch has an oval body compressed laterally, covered with small rough scales. Completely covered with scales and cheeks. There are two dorsal fins: the first consists only of spines, and in the second ... ... Fish of Russia. Directory

Perch Yellow perch Scientific classification Kingdom: Animals Type: Chordates ... Wikipedia

"Perch" redirects here; see also other meanings. River perch ... Wikipedia

Yellow perch Scientific ... Wikipedia

Chops, sculpin and percarina found only in the Azov-Black Sea basin; pepper, ammocrypt, eteostomy- only in North America.