Acipenser naccarii
| Adriatic sturgeon | |
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| Adriatic sturgeon with sea lampreys in Sala maremágnum of Aquarium Finisterrae. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acipenseriformes |
| Family: | Acipenseridae |
| Genus: | Acipenser |
| Species: | A. naccarii |
| Binomial name | |
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Acipenser naccarii Bonaparte, 1836 |
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The Adriatic sturgeon (Acipenser naccarii) is a species of fish in the family Acipenseridae. It is native to the Adriatic Sea and large rivers in Albania, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro and Slovenia. Specimens can be seen at the Milan Aquarium, Aquarium Finisterrae, Aquarium of the Po, and the protected area of Oasis of Sant'Alessio in Lombardy. It is an elongated fish that can grow to a maximum length of about 2 m (6.6 ft), with an olive-brown back, paler flanks and whitish belly.
This fish is threatened by habitat loss and overfishing, especially the capture of immature fish that have not bred. Populations of the fish have dwindled and it seems to be no longer present in many of its previous habitats. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "critically endangered", and it is likely to be functionally extinct in the wild, as no spawning has been confirmed in recent years. However, it breeds successfully in captivity and survives in commercial fish farms and captive breeding programs. One large specimen was caught, and afterwards released, in the Po River in 2015.
The Adriatic sturgeon reaches a maximum length of about 2 m (6.6 ft) and a maximum weight of 25 kg (55 lb). Like other sturgeons it has an elongated body, a flattened rostrum, a cartilaginous skeleton, distinctive bony scutes, and an elongated upper lobe to its tail. The snout is broad and rounded, the lower lip has a central cleft and the four barbels are closer to the tip of the snout than they are to the mouth. The dorsal fin has no spines and 36 to 48 soft rays, and the anal fin has 24 to 31 soft rays. The dorsal colouring is olive-brown, the flanks are paler and the underside white.
Like most sturgeon, the Adriatic sturgeon is an anadromous fish and can be found at different periods of its life in freshwater and marine environments, including estuaries and brackish water. Historically it was to be found in the Adriatic Sea and the rivers flowing into it on either side. In 1932 its range in the sea was reported to be from Venice and Trieste to Greece and Corfu. It used to be present in the rivers Adige, Brenta, Bacchiglione, Piave, Livenza and Tagliamento. In the Po and its tributaries, it used to be present as far upstream as Turin. It also traditionally occurred in the Ticino and Adda rivers along the Albanian coasts, and in the rivers of Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro, including Lake Skadar. It was reported from Greece in 1977 but is no longer found there, and from Albania in 1997 in the Buna River, but has not been seen there since.
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Wikipedia