Esox cisalpinus
Esox cisalpinus
Esox cisalpinus ( Syn:. Esox Flaviae Lucentini et al, 2011) is a newly described in 2011, kind of pike ( Esocidae ). It includes the pike populations of northern and central Italy, moving on from the Northern European pike (Esox lucius) were separated and given its own species status. The species was first described by Bianco & Delmastro in an inventory of endemic fish species of the Italian Peninsula as Esox cisalpinus and a short time later by Lucentini et al. Flaviae as Esox. After the priority rule of biological nomenclature, the first name, Esox cisalpinus valid.
Dissemination
Esox cisalpinus occurs in northern Italy south of the Alps and in central Italy. Whether other pike populations in the Mediterranean region, such as in southern France and in the tributaries of the Adriatic and the new type must be imputed, is not yet clear.
Features
Esox cisalpinus is one meter long is elongated and has a flattened, duck -like snout. The large mouth is filled with many sharp teeth. Dorsal and anal fins located far back near the tail fin, pectoral and ventral fins are low in the body. In addition to metric characteristics, the ratios between different body masses to Esox cisalpinus differs mainly in the coloring and the smaller number scales along the lateral line of Esox lucius.
Esox cisalpinus is colored very variable and can be longitudinal stripes, transverse bands, diagonal stripes or a star-shaped branching striations have. However, for Esox lucius typical round spots he never shows.
- Dandruff formula: SL 101-115 ( 125-148 in E. lucius)
- Branchiostegalstrahlen: 13-14.
Way of life
As the northern European pike Esox comes cisalpinus mainly in clear, vegetation -rich lakes and rivers. He is a loner, revier forming and feeds on fish, even smaller conspecifics, frogs and crabs. Males reproduce for the first time at the age of one year, female with two years. Reproduction takes place in central Italy from February to March, in Northern Italy from March to April.