Starry sturgeon
| Starry Sturgeon or Stellate Sturgeon | |
|---|---|
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acipenseriformes |
| Family: | Acipenseridae |
| Genus: | Acipenser |
| Species: | A. stellatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Acipenser stellatus Pallas, 1771 |
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The starry sturgeon, Acipenser stellatus, also known as stellate sturgeon (Drakul, Persian: اوزون برون (ozu:n boru:n) and (Turkish) Uzun Burun (long nosed)), is a species of sturgeon. It is native to the Black, Azov, Caspian and Aegean sea basins, but it has been extirpated from the last and it is predicted that the remaining natural population will follow soon due to overfishing.[1] It is considered critically endangered by the IUCN and international trade in this species (including its caviar) is restricted by CITES.[1] The starry sturgeon is an anadromous species, which migrates up rivers to spawn.[2]
It reaches 220 cm (7.2 ft) in length and weighs up to 80 kg (180 lb).[2] The maximum reported age for this species is 27 years.[2] The starry sturgeon is a harmless species that feeds on fish, worms, crustaceans and mollusks.[2]
_Sturgeon.JPG)
It is an important commercial species. It is one of the three most important species for caviar along with the Beluga sturgeon and the Persian sturgeon. Its flesh is considered an expensive delicacy in the Caspian region. It is used to make kebabs, or is consumed pan fried, broiled, or smoked. There have been several attempts in Russia, Iran, Italy, and the US to adapt this species for aquaculture, with varying degrees of success.
The resilience of this species is low. The minimum population doubling time is 4.5 – 14 years.
References
- ^ a b c Sturgeon Specialist Group (1996). Acipenser stellatus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 25 February 2007. Listed as Endangered (EN A2d v2.3)
- ^ a b c d Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). "Acipenser stellatus" in FishBase. February 2013 version.
External links
| External identifiers for Acipenser stellatus | |
|---|---|
| Encyclopedia of Life | 206889 |
| ITIS | 161078 |
| NCBI | 7903 |
| WoRMS | 126278 |
| Also found in: Wikispecies | |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Acipenser stellatus |
