Danube bleak

The Mairenke ( Alburnus chalcoides ) is a fish of the carp family (Cyprinidae ). It is counted among the white fish. It was described as Chalcalburnus chalcoides, the taxon Chalcalburnus but recently einklassiert under the genus Alburnus.

Features

It reaches a length of 15 to 25cm and has a high-backed body with a greenish top. Flanks and belly are silver. The dorsal and caudal fin is slightly colored black, the other colorless. Along the lateral line the scales number is 60 to 67 pieces. The number of fin rays of the dorsal fin 9 to 11, in the anal fin 17 to 20, in the pectoral fin 16 in the ventral fin 10 to 11 and in the caudal fin 19 An adipose fin is absent, because the fish is not among the whitefish as might be anticipated in view of the German name.

Dissemination

There are anadromous subspecies in the tributaries of the Caspian Sea and the northern Black Sea. In the Danube they come through the barrages but only to Romania.

From the subspecies Seelaube, or arbitration Ling ( Alburnus chalcoides mento ) are available in the Alpine and pre-Alpine lakes populations that do not migrate or only very briefly. In the created especially for them and the Perlfisch Europe reserve Mondsee Attersee (Natura 2000) as they are protected in the Traunsee they could no longer be detected recently.

Way of life

The anadromous Mairenken live in brackish water and pull from autumn to the headwaters of the rivers to spawn in the spring on sandy or gravelly places. The stationary subspecies live in shoals in deep and cold waters of the lakes to spawn on sandy river banks in the lake itself or in the tributaries. The spawning period falls here in the period from May to June ( hence the name ). The Mairenken feed on plankton and insect larvae.

Importance in fisheries

In Central Europe the Mairenken are no longer valued as a food fish, as they, like all many white fish bones. The fish in South-Eastern Europe are still fished, as previously also in Central Europe.