The Russian sturgeon ( Huso gueldenstaedtii),
Prior to 2025, it was placed in the genus Acipenser, but this placement was found to be Paraphyly, and it is more accurately placed in the genus Huso.
Description
The Russian sturgeon can grow to but a more normal size is . It has a relatively short and rounded snout with three pairs of unfringed barbels closer to the tip of the snout that to the mouth. The dorsal fin has 27 to 48 soft rays and the anal fin has 16 to 35. The number of scales along the
lateral line varies from 21 to 50. This fish can be distinguish from the otherwise similar
starry sturgeon by the shape of its snout, its barbels and scale arrangement. The upper surface is greyish-green, the lateral scales are pale and the belly white.
Distribution and habitat
The Russian sturgeon is native to the
Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the
Caspian Sea. It is an
anadromous fish and moves into the river systems that drain into these seas in order to make its way to spawning areas upstream. It is usually found near the bottom in fairly shallow water over sandy or muddy substrates.
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Biology
The Russian sturgeon feeds on crustaceans, molluscs and small fishes such as Goby, Anchovy and . It is solitary when in the sea but becomes gregarious as it moves up-river in April, May and June to spawn.[
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Hybrid
In a paper published in July 2020, eggs from three Russian sturgeons were crossbred with American paddlefish using sperm from four male paddlefishes, resulting in successful hybrids called sturddlefish. The resulting offspring had a survival rate of 62% to 74% and on average reached after a year of growth. This is the first time such fish from different genera and families successfully were crossbred.
See also
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Beluga (which lives in the same area and is famous for its roe – caviar)
Sources
