Common percarina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Common percarina |
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Percarina demidoffi demidoffi Nordmann, 1840 |
The Common percarina (Percarina demidoffii) is a type of fish that lives in the Black Sea area. It's part of the Percidae family, which includes fish like perch. You can find it in places where rivers meet the sea, like estuaries and coastal lakes. It also lives in the lower parts of rivers that flow into the Black Sea. This fish is a carnivore, meaning it eats other animals.
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What Does It Look Like?
The Common percarina is a small fish, usually growing up to about 10 centimeters (4 inches) long. It has a milky white color on its upper body and no spots. Its body and fins are almost see-through.
You can tell it apart from a similar fish, Percarina maeotica, because the Common percarina has no scales on its cheeks. It also has 8 to 9 round or uneven marks near the base of its two dorsal fins (the fins on its back). These dorsal fins are clearly separate. The first dorsal fin has 9-10 sharp spines, and the second one has 3 spines and 10-12 soft rays. Its anal fin (on its belly) has 2 spines and 8-11 soft rays.
Where Does It Live?
The Common percarina lives in eastern Europe, mainly around the northwestern part of the Black Sea. It can be found in estuaries (where rivers meet the sea) and lagoons along the coast. It also lives in the lower parts of big rivers like the Danube, Dniester, Southern Bug, and Dnieper.
Recently, in 2016, this fish was found further upstream in the Dnieper River, in a place called the Zaporizske Reservoir in Ukraine. This discovery shows that the Common percarina can live in completely freshwater environments too, not just brackish or salty ones. It has been recorded in countries like Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania.
How Does It Live?
The Common percarina is mostly a freshwater fish, but it can easily get used to living in slightly salty or even very salty water. These fish often swim together in groups, called schools. They usually stay near the bottom of the water, but they can also swim higher up in the water column.
They are most commonly found at depths of about 5 meters (16 feet), especially where the bottom is made of black mud. Sometimes, they even swim in mixed groups with other fish, like the Black Sea sprat.
What Does It Eat?
The Common percarina is a predator. Its diet includes many different things:
- Fish eggs
- Young fish, like sprats, silversides, and gobies
- Tiny water animals called zooplankton
- Small crustaceans (like tiny shrimp)
- Polychaete worms
- Insect larvae
They have even been known to eat phytoplankton, which are tiny water plants.
How Does It Reproduce?
Common percarina fish lay their eggs in coastal waters, usually near the mouths of rivers where the bottom is muddy. This happens in May and June.
Who Named This Fish?
The Common percarina was first officially described and named in 1840 by a Finnish biologist named Alexander von Nordmann (1803-1866). He found it near the Dniester river, close to a town called "Akkerman" (now Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi). The fish's specific name, demidoffii, was given to honor Anatole de Demidoff (1813-1817).
