Chain pike
| Chain pike | ||||||||||||
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Chain pike ( Esox niger ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Esox niger | ||||||||||||
| Lesueur , 1818 |
The chain pike ( Esox niger ) is a species of pike that occurs in eastern North America from Nova Scotia in Canada to southern Florida . In the west, the distribution area extends to Sabine Lake in Louisiana and the Mississippi river basin in the north to Kentucky and Missouri . In Ontario , the Lake Erie and other North American waters the species was introduced by man.
features
The fish reaches a maximum length of 99 cm, but usually stays at a length of just over 40 cm. The published maximum weight is 4.25 kg, the maximum age is 9 years. The body is slender and cylindrical, slightly flattened in the middle and laterally flattened in the rear section. The large head is largely bare and flattened, the long muzzle is broad, rounded at the tip and has a concave top. The mouth is almost horizontal, the lower jaw protrudes. The maxillary reaches below the posterior margin of the pupil or slightly beyond it. The lateral teeth in the lower jaw and on the ploughshare are enlarged. The head sides and the gill cover are fully scaled. The number of vertebrae is 49 to 54.
- Fin formula : dorsal 17–21, anal 11–13.
Chain pike are greenish on their backs and often show a strong dark green. The green is interrupted by whitish bands and shows a golden sheen. The belly side is light. The body sides have whitish zones, interrupted by dark chain-like patterns. The pupils are yellow and the fins are light.
Way of life
Chain pike live in plant populations in lakes, swamps, oxbow lakes and low-current areas of small to medium-sized rivers. In rivers with little vegetation they prefer deep and cold areas, which are also frequented by adult fish in the winter months. Immediately after the ice thaws in spring, the fish migrate back to shallow water to spawn. The larvae adhere to plants with a head gland. Young fish often stand motionless near the surface of the water or hide between organic material on the bottom of the water. Like all pike, the chain pike is a predatory fish.
literature
- Roger Tory Peterson, Lawrence M. Page, Mariner Books: A Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes: North America North of Mexico. Mariner Books, 1998, ISBN 0-3959-1091-9
Web links
- Chain pike on Fishbase.org (English)
- Esox niger inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: NatureServe, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2013.