Alosa volgensis
| Alosa volgensis | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Alosa volgensis | ||||||||||||
| ( Berg , 1913) |
Alosa volgensis , the Volga allis shad or "Volga herring" ( Russian волжская сельдь ) is a migratory fish that is endemic to the Caspian Sea . It used to be widespread not only in the Volga , but also in the Terek and Urals .
features
It has the typical, laterally flattened, slightly higher-backed shape of freshwater herrings and is a maximum of 35 cm long. The body height can reach ¼ of the total length. The body is covered by relatively large round scales. The upper jaw is notched in the middle, the lower jaw extends to the back of the eye.
Way of life
The species lived in schools and is an anadromous migratory fish. In the Caspian Sea he lived pelagically in areas near the coast with good flow and avoided regions with consistently high salinity. To reproduce, it migrates into the rivers and spawns in fresh water or in slightly brackish water above three meters deep.
Hazard and protection
Since the 1960s, the canalisation of the river mouth and the construction of the hiking routes, especially the construction of the Volgograd dam, have changed and destroyed large parts of the habitat. Today the species is extremely rare and hardly any juveniles are sighted. The remaining spawning area only covers less than 500 km².
Web links
- Information on the hazard (Russian)
- Species description in Russian.
- Worldregister of Marine Species (English).