Perca fluviatilis (Linnaeus, 1758)

English: European perch
Serbian: grgeč, bandar
Hungarian: csapósügér
German: Flussbarsch

Maximum length: 60 cm; common length: 25 cm; maximum published weight: 4.8 kg; maximum reported age: 22 years

It is distributed throughout the Eurasian continent. They occur everywhere in Europe, even in the northernmost parts of Scandinavia, except the Iberian Peninsula, central Italy and the Adriatic basin.

It inhabits a wide range of habitats of standing and flowing waters – lakes of all kinds, medium-sized streams and rivers. They reach full maturity at 2-4 years of age. The spawning period is from February to July, during which the females lay eggs in the form of long white ribbons above the underwater vegetation. This species is an opportunistic daily predator that catches any prey it can overpower, most often fish up to 12 cm in length and mainly during sunrise and sunset. Larvae and small juveniles usually feed on planktonic invertebrates.

IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) status: Least concern (LC)

Sander lucioperca (Linnaeus, 1758)

English: pike-perch
Serbian: smuđ
Hungarian: fogassüllő
German: Zander

Maximum length: 100 cm; common length: 50 cm; maximum published weight: 20 kg; maximum reported age: 17 years
It was originally distributed in Europe and Asia in the catchment areas of the North, Aegean, Caspian, Baltic, Black and Aral Seas. It has already inhabited waters throughout Europe.

It inhabits large, turbid rivers and eutrophic lakes in the western parts of the Eurasian continent. They feed actively on fish that they catch. They reach full maturity at 3-10 years of age, but usually in their fourth year. They spawn from April to May when water temperatures reach 10-14°C. The reproductive pair jointly builds a nest in which the female lays eggs and takes care of eggs. There can be even up to 300,000 eggs. The length of the incubation period of eggs is two weeks. The young fish reaches full maturity when they are 2-4 years of age.

IUCN status: Least concern (LC)

Abramis brama (Linnaeus, 1758)

English: common bream
Serbian: deverika
Hungarian: dévérkeszeg
German: Brasse

Maximum length: 82 cm; common length: 25 cm; maximum published weight: 6 kg; maximum reported age: 23 years

This Eurasian species is widely distributed in most of the western, central and southeastern parts of Europe, northwestern parts of Asia Minor/Anatolia and the Aral and Caspian basins. It inhabits waters throughout Europe, including the stagnant waters of the Iberian and Apennine peninsulas and Scandinavia.

It inhabits lakes and large to medium-sized rivers. Most of them are in tributaries, lower parts of slow-flowing rivers, and warm shallow lakes. Common bream lives in schools. They spawn in backwaters, floodplains or lake shores with dense vegetation where, after hatching, larvae and young fish remain to live and feed on plankton. After one to two years, the young fish moves to open waters. In the absence of such waters, young fish can adapt but have slower growth and attain maturity at a smaller size. Adults feed on insects, shrimps, mollusks, and plants. Larger specimens can also feed on small fish.

IUCN status: Least concern (LC)

Rutilus rutilus (Linnaeus, 1758)

English: roach
Serbian: bodorka
Hungarian: bodorka, búzaszemű keszeg
German: Rotauge

Maximum length: 50.2 cm; common length: 25 cm; maximum published weight: 1.8 kg; maximum reported age: 14 years
It originates from the Central and Southeastern Europe and Asia. Due to its adaptability, it has been distributed throughout Europe, where it is occasionally treated as an invasive species.

They are found in various aquatic habitats, i.e. mainly in lowland areas. Most of them live in nutrient-rich lakes as well as large or small rivers and backwaters. They live in schools. Larvae and juveniles live in coastal habitats, but adults can move to open water habitats. They feed on invertebrates and plant material from the bottom as well as on zooplankton. They spawn from April to June in dense underwater vegetation on muddy or gravelly bottoms two or even three times during the season if the year is warm. They reach full maturity only after the third or fourth year. It has been determined that it freely crosses with the bream (Abramis brama), which results in fertile hybrid individuals.

IUCN status: Least concern (LC)

Silurus glanis (Linnaeus, 1758)

English: wels catfish
Serbian: evropski som
Hungarian: európai harcsa
German: Europäischer Wels

Maximum length: 273 cm; maximum published weight: 130 kg; maximum reported age: 80 years

Eurasian species are naturally distributed in the basin of the North, Baltic, Black, Caspian and Aegean Seas. So, now it inhabits waters throughout Europe and Asia in the East all the way to the Balkhash basin in Kazakhstan.

It inhabits large and medium-sized lowland rivers, backwaters and lakes richly overgrown with vegetation. The catfish is a nocturnal predator that feeds predominantly near the bottom. Larvae and juveniles are benthic, and they feed on various invertebrates and fish. Adults feed on fish and other aquatic vertebrates. They reach full maturity at 2-3 years of age. They are considered locally endangered due to the regulation of rivers since it destroys areas with shallow water, which are their main places for spawning.

IUCN status: Least concern (LC)

Scardinius erythrophthalmus (Linnaeus, 1758)

English: rudd
Serbian: crvenperka
Hungarian: vörösszárnyú keszeg
German: Rotfeder

Maximum length: 61.7 cm; common length: 20 cm; maximum reported age: 19 years

This Eurasian species, which inhabits freshwaters north of the Pyrenees and the Alps, can be found in the East up to the White Sea and the Urals, where the southeastern parts of its habitat area cover the Black Sea catchment area.

They are found mainly in lowland rivers, backwaters, meanders, and smaller or larger lakes rich in vegetation. They feed mainly on plankton, terrestrial insects that fall on the water surface and plant material. They nest in shallow water, attaching their colorless or pale yellow eggs to roots or submerged plants. They are very adaptable and can withstand very unfavorable habitat conditions.

IUCN status: Least concern (LC)

Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus, 1758)

English: common carp
Serbian: šaran
Hungarian: ponty
German: Karpfen

Maximum length: 120 cm; common length: 31 cm; maximum published weight: 40.1 kg; maximum reported age: 38 years

This Eurasian species originates in the catchment area of ​​the Black, Caspian and Aral Seas. It is assumed that individuals from the Danube open flow are the basis of European populations.

It inhabits warm, deep, slow-flowing and calm waters, such as lowland rivers and large lakes rich in vegetation. They are resistant and tolerant to various conditions but they generally favour large bodies of water with slow-flowing or standing water and soft sediment at the bottom. They are most active at dusk and dawn. Both adults and juveniles feed on a variety of benthic organisms and plant materials. They nest along shores or in backwaters. Adults often undertake significant spawning migrations to suitable backwaters and flooded meadows. Larvae survive only in warm water to a depth of 30 cm among submerged vegetation. River regulation and hybridization with domesticated forms, East Asian relatives and their hybrids have caused a continuous decline in the common carp wild population.

IUCN status: Vulnerable (VU)

Esox lucius (Linnaeus, 1758)

English: pike
Serbian: štuka
Hungarian: csuka
German: Europäischer Hecht

Maximum length: 137 cm; common length: 40-55 cm; maximum published weight: 28.4 kg; maximum reported age: 30 years

Pike is distributed in freshwater throughout the northern hemisphere. It can be found in clean, densely overgrown lakes, slow-flowing waters and backwaters of small or large rivers. They are usually solitary and extremely territorial. Adults feed mainly on fish but can also feed on frogs and crabs as needed. Cannibalism is not uncommon. They are sensitive to changes in water quality, especially to a decrease in oxygen concentration in the water.

IUCN status: Least concern (LC)

Alburnus alburnus (Linnaeus, 1758)

English: common bleak
Serbian: uklija, ukljeva
Hungarian: szélhajtó küsz
German: Ukelei

Maximum length: 25 cm; common length: 15 cm; maximum published weight: 60 g

This Eurasian species is distributed in most parts of Europe north of the Pyrenees, Alps and Caucasus and all the way to the Urals and the Elbe River in the East.

Adults can be seen gathered in schools in open waters near the surface of lakes, and medium to large rivers. They gather in large groups in backwaters and other peaceful places in winter. They spawn in shallow rocky shores with stagnant or slow-flowing water. Larvae live in the coastal zone of rivers and lakes, while the juveniles leave the shores and move to open waters where they feed on plankton, floating insects or invertebrates that have fallen on the water surface.

IUCN status: Least concern (LC)

Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782)

English: Prussian carp
Serbian: babuška, srebrni karaš
Hungarian: ezüstkárász
German: Giebel, Silberkarausche

Maximum length: 46.6 cm; common length: 20 cm; max. maximum published weight: 3 kg; maximum reported age: 10 years

The origin of this Eurasian species is not clear. Some believe they originate from the freshwaters in Central Europe and Siberia, while others claim that they came to European waters from East Asia. Clear and definite data on the original distribution in Europe are not available due to frequent restocking. It is difficult to distinguish it from the goldfish (Carassius auratus), and their breeding is complex. It is currently widely spread throughout Europe but is absent only in the Baltic Sea basin, Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, and the Mediterranean islands. It is considered an invasive species in Serbia.

It inhabits different types of water bodies with standing or slow-flowing water rich in aquatic vegetation. It is common in lowland rivers and their floodplains and often becomes the dominant species in artificial and heavily modified water bodies, marshes, fishponds, cut-in menders and the like. It can withstand very low oxygen concentrations and different unfavorable water quality conditions. Larvae and juveniles mostly live in areas with dense vegetation, such as reed belts along the coast. It feeds on plankton, benthic invertebrates, plant material and detritus. They spawn on shallow, warm shores where females lay their eggs on underwater vegetation or other underwater objects. It can also reproduce from unfertilized eggs (gamogenesis). The royal jelly of several related species, such as common carp, roach or common bream, can trigger the division of babushka eggs that were not fertilized, resulting in only a female population with triploid individuals. Populations with exclusively triploid females often occur in Europe. However, populations with up to 25% of diploid males have also been registered.

Lepomis gibbosus (Linnaeus, 1758)

English: pumpkinseed
Serbian: sunčanica
Hungarian: naphal
German: Gemeiner Sonnenbarsch, Kürbiskernbarsch

Maximum length: 40 cm; common length: 9.9 cm; maximum published weight: 630 g; maximum reported age: 12 years

It originates from the waters of the northeastern, central and eastern regions of North America, but it has now spread to most of the American continent. It inhabits waters in Europe, where it has spread widely over most of the continent. It is considered an invasive species in Serbia.

It inhabits smaller or larger lakes richly overgrown with vegetation as well as more peaceful parts of streams and smaller rivers. It feeds on smaller fish, other vertebrates and caviar of other fish species. They rarely gather in schools and most often live in pairs or loose groups composed of several individuals. Males build nests in shallow water near the shore. After laying eggs and fertilization, the males continue to guard the nest for the next couple of weeks until the young hatch and become somewhat stronger. After that, they prepare the nest for the next spawn with the same or another female. Females lay about 1000 eggs.

IUCN status: Least concern (LC)

Ameiurus nebulosus (Lesueur, 1819)

English: brown bullhead
Serbian: američki patuljasti somić, terpan
Hungarian: törpeharcsa
German: Katzenwels, Amerikanischer Zwergwels

Maximum length: 55 cm; common length: 25 cm; maximum published weight: 2.7 kg; maximum reported age: 9 years

It originates from North America from the catchment area of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. It inhabits several European countries from where it has been distributed almost throughout the continent. It is considered an invasive species in Serbia.

It occurs in stagnant or slow-flowing waters with a soft bottom. It is a nocturnal predator that feeds on mollusks, insects, leeches, crabs and plankton. It has been noted that it feeds on eggs of other fish species. It can withstand high carbon dioxide concentrations, and low oxygen concentrations, and temperatures up to 31.6 ° C. They are resistant to both urban and industrial pollution. The male and female build a nest together and both parents take care of the eggs. The care involves mixing the water above the nest with their paired fins and moving away from the eggs with mustaches. If necessary, parents can pick up the eggs in their mouths and then throw them out in a suitable place.

IUCN status: Least concern (LC)

Pseudorasbora parva (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846)

English: stone moroko
Serbian: amurski čebačok
Hungarian: kínai razbóra
German: Blaubandbärbling

Maximum length: 12.5 cm; common length: 8 cm; maximum reported age: 5 years

It originates from Asia, where it can be found in nature in the waters of the Amur River basin to the catchment area of the Zhujiang River in Siberia, as well as in Korea and China. Accidentally, it inhabited different European and Asian waters. It is considered an invasive species in Serbia.

Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (Richardson, 1845)

English: bighead carp
Serbian: sivi tolstolobik
Hungarian: pettyes busa
German: Marmorkarpfen

Maximum length: 146 cm; common length: 60 cm; maximum published weight: 40 kg; maximum reported age: 20 years

It originates from China. It inhabited a large number of countries and has achieved almost global distribution. However, the requirements for their breeding are very specific. The stocks are maintained by artificial reproduction or constant import. It is considered an invasive species in Serbia.