Zope (fish)

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Zope
Zope (Ballerus ballerus)

Zope ( Ballerus ballerus )

Systematics
without rank: Otophysa
Order : Carp-like (Cypriniformes)
Subordination : Carp fish-like (Cyprinoidei)
Family : White fish (Leuciscidae)
Genre : Ballerus
Type : Zope
Scientific name
Ballerus ballerus
( Linnaeus , 1758)

The Zope or Spitzpleinzen ( Ballerus ballerus ) is a carp fish . Other names are: Schwuppe, Pleinzen, Schwabe, Zoop, Schwopen, Swoop, Spitzer.

features

Zopes grow very slowly, with three to four years they are only 16 cm long. When fully grown, they are around 25 to 35 cm long with an age of eight to eleven years, with a maximum of 45 cm. Their weight is 300 to 600 g, a maximum of 1500 g. They have a high-backed, laterally flattened physique. They can be distinguished from the bream by their very long anal fin , which is over 30-rayed . The mouth is terminal and the gap in the mouth is narrow. They have a dirty white body color with an orange throat, the back is dark green or dark blue with a metallic sheen. The pectoral and pelvic fins are yellowish with dark corners, the other fins are dirty-white, all fins have a gray border.
The Zopen have a life expectancy of around 18 years.

Occurrence

Zopen can be found mainly on the lower reaches of the Weser and Elbe , in the Danube and on tributaries to the Baltic and North Sea . They can also be found in lakes and ponds. In Russia there has been an increase in the number of zopes in recent years.

nutrition

Zopes feed mainly on insect larvae, worms and small crustaceans. Unlike other bream, they like to eat crustaceans of the genera Cyclops and Daphnia .

Reproduction

The spawning season lasts from April to May. The spawn of usually 15,000 to 25,000, sometimes up to 100,000 eggs is attached to parts of plants in a current in the bank area of ​​lakes or swamps, after which the Zopen leave the bank region again. At a water temperature of 15 ° C, the larvae hatch after about twelve days. The males become sexually mature at three and the females at four.

Economy

In the Volga region, the Zopes are caught during the spawning season. They can be bought dried and salted as edible fish. Otherwise they are economically uninteresting.

Web links

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