The Luciopercinae is a

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

, classified within the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Percidae The Percidae are a family of ray-finned fish, part of the order Perciformes, which are found in fresh and brackish waters of the Northern Hemisphere. The majority are Nearctic, but there are also Palearctic species. The family contains more than ...

, the subfamily includes the pike-perches and zingels. The pike-perches of the genus '' Sander'' have an

Holarctic The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical region ...

distribution while the zingels of the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

Romanichthyini Romanichthyini is a tribe (taxonomy), tribe of freshwater ray-finned fish which is one of two tribes in the subfamily Luciopercinae, which in turn is classified under the Family (biology), family Percidae, the family also includes the perches, Sa ...

are found in Europe. They are largely freshwater species but some can be found in brackish water.

Characteristics

The species within the Luciopercinae have a number of morphological characteristics in common. These are the possession weak spines in the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

, the

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...

extends as far as the margin of the

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

and there are additional lines over and under the main lateral line, they have a cleithrum which does not have serrations on the pectoral girdle and they have a

vertebrae The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic i ...

count of 41–50.

Distribution

The Luciopercinae has a Holarctic distribution, the pike-perches of the genus ''Sander'' are found in Eurasia and North America and includes such commercially important species as the zander (''Sander lucioperca'') and the

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

(''Sander vitreus''). On the other hand the tribe Romanichthyini is restricted to Eastern Europe where the species within the tribe are all

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the fast flowing streams of the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

drainage basin.

Systematics

The subfamily is classified into two tribes and three genera, as set out below, containing a total of 10 species: * Tribe

Luciopercini ''Sander'' (formerly known as ''Stizostedion'') is a genus of predatory ray-finned fish in the family Percidae, which also includes the perches, ruffes, and darters. They are also known as "pike-perch" because of their resemblance to fish in the ...

Jordan & Evermann 1896 ** Genus '' Sander'' Oken, 1817 * Tribe

Dumitrescu, Bănărescu & Stoica 1957 ** Genus ''

Romanichthys ''Romanichthys'' is a genus of ray-finned fish, one of two genera in the tribe Romanichthyini, which along with the tribe Luciopercini, forms the subfamily Luciopercinae of the family Percidae, alongside the perches, ruffes, and darters. Th ...

'' Dumitrescu, Bănărescu & Stoica 1957 ** Genus ''

Zingel ''Zingel'' is a genus of fish in the family Percidae. They are long and slender, reaching 12 to 48 cm in length. They are found in rivers and streams in Europe. They feed mainly on aquatic invertebrates such as crustaceans and insect larvae ...

'' Cloquet, 1817

References

{{Taxonbar, From=Q21223063 Percidae Ray-finned fish subfamilies