Sturgeon
Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Acipenseriformes Family: Acipenseridae
Subfamilies
Acipenserinae Scaphirhynchinae See text for genera and species. The Atlantic sturgeon ( Acipenser oxyrhynchus oxyrinchus) is a member of the Acipenseridae family and is among one of the oldest fish species in the world Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates The Actinopterygii (the plural form of Actinopterygius) comprise the class of the ray-finned fishes. Acipenseriformes are an order of primitive ray-finned fishes that includes the Sturgeons and Paddlefishes as well as some extinct families Scaphirhynchinae is a sub Family of Sturgeon which includes two genera comprising a total of six species

Sturgeon is the common name used for some 26 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, including the genera Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus. For Wikipedia aspects see WikipediaNaming conventions (common names, WikipediaNaming conventions, and WikipediaStyle manual. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic Acipenser is Genus of Sturgeons. With about 18 species many of which are Threatened, it is the largest genus in the order Acipenseriformes Huso is a Genus of large Sturgeons. It contains two species Beluga (or European sturgeon, Huso huso. Scaphirhynchus is a Genus of Sturgeons native to the United States of America. UserPolbot. --> Pseudoscaphirhynchus is a genus of Fish in the Acipenseridae family The term includes over 20 species commonly referred to as sturgeon and several closely related species that have distinct common names, notably sterlet, kaluga and beluga. The sterlet ( Acipenser ruthenus) is a common Eurasian species of Sturgeon, one of the smaller species of sturgeon The Kaluga ( Huso dauricus) is a large predatory Sturgeon found in the Amur River basin Collectively, the family is also known as the True Sturgeons. Sturgeon is sometimes used more exclusively to refer to the species in the two best-known genera; Acipenser and Huso.

One of the oldest families of bony fish in existence, they are native to subtropical, temperate and sub-arctic rivers, lakes and coastlines of Eurasia and North America. Osteichthyes (ˌɒstiːˈɪkθiːz also called bony fish, are a taxonomic Class of Fish that includes the ray-finned fish ( Actinopterygii For the superstate in George Orwell 's novel see Nations of Nineteen Eighty-Four. They are distinctive for their elongated bodies, lack of scales, and occasional great size: Sturgeons ranging from 7–12 feet (2-3½ m) in length are common, and some species grow up to 18 feet (5. 5 m). Most sturgeons are anadromous bottom-feeders, spawning upstream and feeding in river deltas and estuaries. Many types of fish undertake migrations on a regular basis on time scales ranging from daily to annual and with distances ranging from a few meters to thousands of kilometers Benthos are the organisms which live on in or near the Seabed, also known as the Benthic zone. A delta is a Landform where the mouth of a River flows into an Ocean, Sea, Estuary, Lake or another river An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open While some are entirely freshwater, very few venture into the open ocean beyond near coastal areas. The coast is defined as the part of the land adjoining or near the Ocean.

Several species of sturgeons are harvested for their roe, which is made into caviar - a luxury good which makes some sturgeons pound for pound the most valuable of all harvested fish. Roe or hard roe is the fully ripe internal ovaries or egg masses of Fish and certain marine Animals such as Shrimp, Scallop Caviar is the processed, Salted Roe of certain species of Fish, most notably the Sturgeon ( black caviar) and the In Economics, a luxury good is a good for which Demand increases more than proportionally as income rises in contrast to a "necessity good" Because they are slow-growing and mature very late in life, they are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and to other threats, including pollution and habitat fragmentation. Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability disorder harm or discomfort to the physical systems or living organisms they are in Habitat fragmentation is a process of environmental change important in Evolution and Conservation biology. Most species of sturgeons are currently considered either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. A vulnerable species is a Species which is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction improve An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming Extinct because it is either few in numbers or threatened by changing environmental or predation Organisms with a conservation status of critically endangered have an extremely high risk of becoming extinct

Contents 1 Evolution 2 Physical characteristics 3 Range and habitat 4 Uses 5 Species 6 See also 7 External links 8 References

Evolution

Sturgeon and related paddlefish first appear in the fossil record approximately 200 million years ago, making them among the most ancient of teleost fish. Paddlefish (family Polyodontidae) are primitive Chondrostian Ray-finned fishes The paddlefish can be distinguished by its large Mouth and its elongated Teleostei is one of three infraclasses in class Actinopterygii, the ray-finned fishes In that time they have undergone remarkably little morphological change, indicating that their evolution has been exceptionally slow and earning them informal status as living fossils. The term morphology in Biology refers to the outward appearance ( Shape, Structure, Colour, Pattern) of an Organism Living fossil is an informal term for any living Species (or Clade) of organism which appears ^[1][2] This is explained in part by the long inter-generation time, tolerance for wide ranges of temperature and salinity, lack of predators due to size, and the abundance of prey items in the benthic environment. Temperature is a physical property of a system that underlies the common notions of hot and cold something that is hotter generally has the greater temperature Salinity is the Saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of Water. The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a Body of water such as an Ocean or a Lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface

Despite the existence of a fossil record, it has been difficult to fully classify the sturgeon species or unambiguously determine their phylogeny. FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. This is in part due to the high individual and ontogenic variation, including geographical clines in certain features, such as rostrum shape, number of scutes and body length. Ontogeny, as opposed to Phylogeny, refers to the history of an organism from birth as opposed to its genetic makeup A further confounding factor is the peculiar ability of sturgeons to produce reproductively viable hybrids, even between species assigned to different genera. In Biology, hybrid has two meanings The first meaning is the result of interbreeding between two animals or plants of different taxa. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic The wide range of the Acipenserids and their endangered status have made collection of systematic materials difficult. These factors have led researchers in the past to identify over 40 additional species that were rejected by later workers. ^[3] It is still unclear whether the species in the Asipenser and Huso genera are monophyletic (descended from one ancestor) or paraphyletic (descended from many ancestors)- though it is clear that the morphologically motivated division between these two genera is not supported by the genetic evidence. A clade is a taxonomic group comprising a single Common ancestor and all the descendants of that ancestor In Phylogenetics, a group of organisms is said to be paraphyletic if the group contains its most recent common ancestor but does not contain all There is an ongoing effort to resolve the taxonomic confusion using a continuing synthesis of systematic data and molecular techniques. Genetics (from Ancient Greek grc-Latn genetikos, “genitive” and that from grc-Latn genesis, “origin” a discipline of Biology, is ^[2][4]

Physical characteristics

Along with other members of the Chondrostei and the Acipenseriformes order, sturgeon are primarily cartiligenous, lack a vertebral centrum, and are covered with bony plates called scutes rather than scales. Chondrostei are primarily cartiliginous fish showing some Ossification. Acipenseriformes are an order of primitive ray-finned fishes that includes the Sturgeons and Paddlefishes as well as some extinct families In most biological nomenclature a scale ( Greek lepid, Latin squama) is a small rigid plate that grows out of an Animal They also have four barbels - unique tactile organs that precede their toothless mouth and are dragged along often murky river bottoms. A barbel on a Fish is a slender whiskerlike tactile organ near the Mouth. Benthos are the organisms which live on in or near the Seabed, also known as the Benthic zone. Sturgeon are distinctly and immediately recognizable for their elongated bodies, flattened rostra, distinctive scutes and barbels, and elongated upper tail lobes. A rostrum ( Latin for "beak" is an anatomical structure resembling a bird's beak, such as the snout of a Crocodile or Dolphin

They are primarily benthic feeders. The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a Body of water such as an Ocean or a Lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface With their projecting wedgeshaped snout they stir up the soft bottom, and use the barbels to detect shells, crustaceans and small fish, on which they feed. Having no teeth, they are unable to seize prey, though larger specimens can swallow very large prey items, including whole salmon and even baby seals. Salmon is the common name for several species of Fish of the family Salmonidae. The true seals or earless seals are one of the three main groups of Mammals within the seal Suborder, Pinnipedia. ^[5]

Sturgeon have been referred to as both the Leviathans and Methuselahs of freshwater fish. Leviathan ( is a Biblical Sea monster referred to in the Old Testament ( Psalm 74:13-14 Job 41 Isaiah 271 Methuselah or Metushélach ( is the oldest person whose age is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. They are among the largest fish: some beluga (Huso huso) in the Caspian Sea reportedly attain over 5. The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged Sea. 5 m and 2000 kg^[6] while for kaluga (H. The Kaluga ( Huso dauricus) is a large predatory Sturgeon found in the Amur River basin dauricus) in the Amur River similar lengths and over 1000 kg weights have been reported. ^[7] They are also probably the longest-lived of the fishes, some living well over 100 years and attaining sexual maturity at 20 years or more. ^[8] The combination of slow growth and reproductive rates and the extremely high value placed on mature egg-bearing females make sturgeon particularly vulnerable to overfishing. Overfishing occurs when Fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level

Sturgeons are polyploid; some species have 4, 8, or 16 sets of chromosomes. Polyploidy occurs in cells and Organisms when there are more than two homologous sets of Chromosomes. ^[9]

Range and habitat

commercial
fin fish
anchovy
catfish
cod
eel
eel history
halibut
herring
mackerel
pollock
salmon
sardine
sole
sturgeon
white sturgeon
tilapia
toothfish
tuna
turbot
whitebait
more...
fishing industry
fisheries
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Sturgeon range from subtropical to subarctic waters in North America and Eurasia. Commercial fishing, also known as industrial fishing, is the activity of capturing Fish and other Seafood for commercial Profit, mostly The anchovies are a family ( Engraulidae) of small common salt-water fish Catfish ( order Siluriformes) are a very diverse group of bony Fish. Cod is the common name for the Genus Gadus of Fish, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name of a variety True eels ( Anguilliformes) are an order of Fish, which consists of four suborders 19 families 110 Genera and approximately 600 The Eel is a long thin bony fish of the order Anguilliformes. A halibut is a type of Flatfish Herring are small Oily fish of the genus Clupea found in the shallow temperate waters of the North Atlantic, the Baltic Sea, the North Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of Fish, mostly but not exclusively from the family Scombridae. Pollock (or pollack, pronounced the same and listed first in most UK and US dictionaries is the common name used for either of the two Species of marine Salmon is the common name for several species of Fish of the family Salmonidae. For the hide and seek-like game see Hide and seek. Sardines, or pilchards, are a group of several types of small Oily The soles are Flatfishes of various families Generally speaking they are the members of the family Soleidae, but outside Europe, the name 'sole' is also Sturgeon is the Common name used for some 26 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, including the genera Acipenser, The white sturgeon ( Acipenser transmontanus, meaning "sturgeon beyond the mountains" also known as the Pacific sturgeon, Oregon sturgeon Tilapia (təˌlɑpiə is the common name for nearly a hundred Species of Cichlid Fishes from the Tilapiine cichlid tribe The Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides is a fish found Tuna, are several Species of ocean-dwelling Fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Turbot ( family Scophthalmidae order Pleuronectiformes) are Flatfish native to marine or Brackish waters of the North This article is concerned with whitebait as the juvenile of various species of fish around the world for other uses of the term see Whitebait (disambiguation. The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking culturing processing preserving storing transporting marketing or selling fish or fish products For the fishing industry and the practice of fishing see Fishing. The subtropics are the zones of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropic zone which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of The Subarctic is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic and covering much of Alaska, Canada and For the superstate in George Orwell 's novel see Nations of Nineteen Eighty-Four. In North America, they range along the Atlantic coast from the Gulf of Mexico to Newfoundland, including the Great Lakes and the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, as well as along the West coast in major rivers from California to British Columbia. The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of The Laurentian Great Lakes are a chain of freshwater lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada–United States border. Mississippi ( is a state located in the Deep South of the United States California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C They occur along the European Atlantic coast, including the Mediterranean basin, in the rivers that flow into the Black, Azov and Caspian seas (Danube, Dnepr, Volga and Don), the north-flowing rivers of Russia that feed the Arctic Ocean (Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Kolyma), in the rivers of Central Asia (Amu Darya and Syr Darya) and Lake Baikal. Black is the Color of objects that do not emit or Reflect Light in any part of the Visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of The Sea of Azov (Азо́вское мо́ре - Azovskoye more; Азо́вське мо́ре - Azovs'ke more, Azaq deñizi is the world's shallowest sea linked Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering ( CASPIAN) is a USA Grass-roots Consumer group dedicated to fighting Supermarket "loyalty" The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj For the rocket see Dnepr rocket. For other uses see Dnieper (disambiguation. The Don (Дон is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 Kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major Ob River (Обь also Obi, is a major river in West Siberia, Russia, the country's fourth longest Yenisei (Енисе́й is the greatest River system flowing to the Arctic Ocean, and at 5539 km (3445 mi is the fifth longest river in the world The Kolyma River (Колыма́ is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south The Amu Darya (formerly Oxus River the Greeks (Ptolemeus called it Oxiana palus) is the longest river in Central Asia. Syr Darya (Сырдария Сирдарё Sirdaryoسيردريا also transliterated Syrdarya or Sirdaryo) is a River in Central Asia Lake Baikal (о́зеро Байка́л Ozero Baykal, ˈozʲɪrə bʌjˈkɑl Байгал нуур Baygal nuur) is in Southern Siberia in Russia In the Pacific Ocean, they are found in the Amur River along the Russian-Chinese border, on Sakhalin island, and in the Yangtze and other rivers in northeast China. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Sakhalin (Сахали́н səxʌˈlʲin Japanese:nihongo|樺太|karafuto or; Chinese: 庫頁 Kùyè also Saghalien, is a large elongated ^[8][10]

Throughout this extensive range, almost all species are highly threatened or vulnerable to extinction due to a combination of habitat destruction, overfishing and pollution. ^[10]

No species are known to naturally occur south of the equator, though attempts at sturgeon aquaculture are being made in Uruguay, South Africa and other places. Aquaculture is the farming of freshwater and saltwater organisms including Molluscs Crustaceans and aquatic plants Uruguay.(official full name in República Oriental del Uruguay;, Oriental Republic of Uruguay) is a country located in the southeastern part of South America The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa ^[11]

Most species are at least partially anadromous, spawning in fresh water and feeding in nutrient rich brackish waters of estuaries or undergoing significant migrations along coastlines. Many types of fish undertake migrations on a regular basis on time scales ranging from daily to annual and with distances ranging from a few meters to thousands of kilometers Spawning is the production or depositing of large quantities of eggs in water An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open However, some species have evolved purely freshwater existences, such as the lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) and the Baikal sturgeon (A. The lake sturgeon ( Acipenser fulvescens) is a North American temperate freshwater Fish, one of about 20 species of Sturgeon. The Baikal sturgeon, Acipenser baerii baicalensis, is a Sturgeon indigenous to Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia. baerii baicalensis), or have been forced into them by anthropogenic or natural impoundment of their native rivers, as in the case of some subpopulations of white sturgeon (A. A dam is a barrier that divides waters. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water while other structures such as Floodgates, Levees The white sturgeon ( Acipenser transmontanus, meaning "sturgeon beyond the mountains" also known as the Pacific sturgeon, Oregon sturgeon transmontanus) in the Columbia River^[12] and Siberian sturgeon (A. The Columbia River (known as UserPolbot. -->The Siberian sturgeon ( Acipenser baerii) is a species of Fish in the Acipenseridae baerii) in the Ob basin. ^[13]

Uses

In Russia, sturgeon fisheries are of immense value. Early in summer the fish migrate into the rivers or towards the shores of freshwater lakes in large shoals for breeding purposes. The ova are very small, and so numerous that one female has been calculated to produce about three million in one season. The ova of some species have been observed to hatch within very few days after exclusion. In sturgeons that have attained maturity their growth appears to be much slower, although continuing for many years. Frederick the Great placed a number of them in the Garder See Lake in Pomerania about 1780; some of these were found to be still alive in 1866. Frederick II (Friedrich II January 24 1712 August 17 1786) was a King of Prussia (1740&ndash1786 from the Professor von Baer also states, as the result of direct observations made in Russia, that the Hausen (Acipenser huso) attains an age of 100 years, but can live over 210 years.

In countries like England, where few sturgeons are caught, sturgeon is included as a royal fish in an act of King Edward II, although it probably only rarely graces the royal table of the present period, or even that of the lord mayor of London, who can claim all sturgeons caught in the Thames above London Bridge. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Under the Law of the United Kingdom, Whales and Sturgeons are royal fish, and when taken become the personal property of the monarch of the For the play see Edward II (play. For the film see Edward II (film. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. London Bridge is a Bridge between the City of London and Southwark in London, England, over the River Thames. Where sturgeons are caught in large quantities, as on the rivers of southern Russia and on the great lakes of North America, their flesh is dried, smoked or salted. The ovaries, which are of large size, are prepared for caviar, for this purpose they are beaten with switches, and then pressed through sieves, leaving the membranous and fibrous tissues in the sieve, whilst the eggs are collected in a tub. Caviar is the processed, Salted Roe of certain species of Fish, most notably the Sturgeon ( black caviar) and the The quantity of salt added to them before they are finally packed varies with the season, scarcely any being used at the beginning of winter. Finally, one of the best sorts of isinglass is manufactured from the airbladder. Isinglass is a substance obtained from the Swimbladders of Fish (especially Beluga sturgeon) used mainly for the clarification of Wine and After it has been carefully removed from the body, it is washed in hot water, and cut open in its whole length, to separate the inner membrane, which has a soft consistency, and contains 70% of glutin. Gluten is a composite of the proteins Gliadin and Glutenin. These exist conjoined with Starch, in the Endosperms of some

Sturgeon (and, therefore also the caviar trade) are under severe threat from overfishing, poaching and water pollution. ^[14]

Species

In currently accepted taxonomy, the family Acipenseridae is subdivided into two subfamilies, Acipenserinae, including the genera Acipenser and Huso, and Scaphirhynchinae, including the genera Scaphirhynchus and Pseudosaphirhynchus. Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification The word comes from the Greek, taxis (meaning 'order' 'arrangement' and, nomos ^[10]

• Family Acipenseridae
  • Subfamily Acipenserinae
    • Genus Acipenser
      • Acipenser baerii
        • Siberian sturgeon, Acipenser baerii baerii
        • Baikal sturgeon, Acipenser baerii baicalensis
      • Shortnose sturgeon, Acipenser brevirostrum
      • Yangtze sturgeon, Acipenser dabryanus
      • Lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens
      • Russian sturgeon, Acipenser gueldenstaedtii
      • Green sturgeon, Acipenser medirostris
      • Sakhalin sturgeon, Acipenser mikadoi
      • Japanese sturgeon, Acipenser multiscutatus
      • Adriatic sturgeon, Acipenser naccarii
      • Fringebarbel sturgeon, Acipenser nudiventris
      • Acipenser oxyrinchus
        • Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus
        • Gulf sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi
      • Persian sturgeon, Acipenser persicus
      • Sterlet, Acipenser ruthenus
      • Amur sturgeon, Acipenser schrenckii
      • Chinese sturgeon, Acipenser sinensis
      • Starry sturgeon, Acipenser stellatus
      • European sturgeon, Acipenser sturio (also [wrongly] "Baltic sturgeon")
      • White sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus
    • Genus Huso
      • Beluga sturgeon, Huso huso
      • Kaluga sturgeon, Huso dauricus
  • Subfamily Scaphirhynchinae
    • Genus Scaphirhynchus
      • Pallid sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus
      • Shovelnose sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus platorynchus
      • Alabama sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus suttkusi
    • Genus Pseudoscaphirhynchus
      • Dwarf sturgeon, Pseudoscaphirhynchus hermanni
      • Syr Darya sturgeon, Pseudoscaphirhynchus fedtschenkoi
      • Amu Darya sturgeon, Pseudoscaphirhynchus kaufmanni

See also

• Teleostei
• Volga Delta - the largest sturgeon breeding ground in the world
• World Sturgeon Conservation Society
• Wolf River-- the sturgeon guard
• Saskatchewan River Sturgeon Management Board

External links

• FishBase info on Acipenser

References

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