Monday, August 17, 2009

Souffia (Leuciscus souffia)

The Souffia is a small fish with a long cylindrical body and an inferior-positioned mouth. A dark wide stripe extends along the whole length of its sides from the mouth to the caudal peduncle, the scales of its lateral line are orange. It is a schooling fish in rivers of the grayling zone and some lakes. It spawns in places with a stony bed and a fresh current of water. During the spawning season both sexes develop white tubercles on head and body. It feeds on small water invertebrates and insects which have fallen into the water. It lives in the watershed of the rivers Rhone and Po (Leuciscus sonjia soffia), whilst a subspecies, Leuciscus souffle agassizi, inhabits the tributaries of the upper Rhine and the Danube and rivers associated with the watershed of the Tisza.

Maximum size and weight: 20 cm, 100 g.

Identifying characteristics Wick dark stripe along the sides from mouth to caudal peduncle. Lateral lint scales orange. Mouth in inferior position.

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