European Pikeperch

European Pikeperch

 

(Lucioperca, or Stizostedion, marinus), a fish of the order Perciformes. Length, up to 60 cm; weight, up to 2 kg. The European pikeperch inhabits the north-western part of the Black Sea (on rare occasions it enters the mouths of the Dnieper and Bug rivers) and the central and southern parts of the Caspian Sea (it does not enter the mouths of rivers there). It spawns in the spring on stony bottoms, depositing up to 125,000 eggs. It feeds mainly on gobies, silversides, herring fry, and shrimp. Because the fish is not very numerous, it has little commercial significance. The European pikeperch is also known as the zander.

REFERENCES

Nikol’skii, G. V. Chastnaia ikhtiologiia, 3rd ed. Moscow, 1971.
Zhizn’zhivotnykh, vol. 4, part 1. Moscow, 1971.