At the stone perch laterally compressed sufficiently high, the body covered with small serrated scales. Dorsal fin single, its spiny and soft parts almost equal in length.
In addition to weapons in the form 10 sharp spines of the dorsal fin, behind the stone perch features three strong spines in the anal and one in each of the small, located under the pectoral, pelvic fins and three sharp thorns on the operculum. The caudal fin is at the stone perch truncated or slightly rounded, and the pectoral fins are not broad, nearly symmetrical: long medium and short the extreme rays.
The color of the stone perch very colorful, reliable masking of this predator among the seaweed and rocks. The General background of the body brown-yellow or brown. The sides stretch five to eight dark cross bands at the rear of the body extending on dorsal fin. For these bands the stone perch often called a Zebra. On the sides of the head, under the eyes and in front of them, are oblique orange stripes, and the upper part of the head striated narrow, winding blue lines alternating with red spots.
The dorsal fin of the perch are bluish-grey in the front part and the back part of it, as well as the anal and caudal fins are brownish-yellow. They are all covered with rows of small dark red spots. Breast yellowish fins are bluish transverse stripes, and the bluish gray of the upper part of the pelvic fins replaced on the ends in red.
Sometimes rock bass reaches a length of 36 cm, but commonly found specimens with a length of 20-25 cm.
This fish lives in the waters of the Eastern Atlantic off the coast of southern Europe and North Africa, in the Mediterranean and Black seas. From the black sea coast of Russia, it is rare.
Typically the perch is held in coastal areas of the sea at depths up to 150 meters, preferring stony and rocky places with thickets of underwater vegetation. Here the protective coloring makes the predator almost indistinguishable from the surrounding objects. Hours it can lie in wait for prey without leaving the shelter. Only the rhythmic movement of the Gill covers, Yes, weak, faint turns Golden eyes can give the presence of a lurking fish. But the apparent calm is deceptive: it should appear near a small fish like rapid roll bass comes out of ambush and seizing prey, again takes his position among the rocks and aquatic plants. Food for the perch serve relatively large fish and crustaceans.
Rock bass spawn in the Mediterranean from April to August and in Black – from June to September. This fish, like other serranova, hermaphrodite. In the gonads each individual develop both female and male sex cells. The most of every sex gland is the ovaries, and a small rear – testis. Normally, the eggs and milt from one species ripen at different times, and it in turn performs the functions of the male and the female. However, sometimes observed simultaneous maturation of male and female sexual products, which can lead to the fertilization of the calf’s own milk. Currently, direct evidence of “self-fertilization” at the stone perch are lacking, although such data are available for some relatives of the American species.
Taking part in the spawning as the females, stone perch spawn from 17 to 102 thousand floating eggs. Emerged from the eggs the larvae are also kept in the upper layers of the water. Usually young stone perch quite early become predators. Already at a length of 2-3 cm, they pass to feeding by fish fry. Frequent in this species and cannibalism, note how at an early age and in adults.
In our waters rock bass has no industrial value because of its low abundance. Usually outside the breeding season these fish are kept singly, so they are in small quantities are produced only pole and line fishing gear.
We have found in the Black sea and another close view of stone bass – milkfish (Serranus cabrilla), reaching a length of 40 cm It can easily be distinguished from the stone perch due to the absence of bright blue stripes on the top of the head. On your way of life the milkfish is very similar to the stone perch, but also found at depths down to 500 meters.
As a result of human activities in the dispersal of various fish species in Russian waters appeared, and the representative of another family of Perciformes – Centrahoma, or sun perch (Centrarchidae). Sun perch, also called eared, inhabit the freshwaters of North America, from the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada to Central us States. They look similar to of, but the dorsal fin they always have one, and the spiky part below the rear, consisting only of soft rays.
Eared perch like clean, standing or slow water with a bright sandy bottom. Here the adults are kept alone in thickets of water vegetation, avoiding much in the summer-warmed water layers, oxygen-poor. Juveniles forming small flocks. Of the 30 species of this family in the waters of Russia currently has only one.
Largemouth black bass (Micropterus salmoides) was the universe we have in lake Abrau in the Krasnodar region. Although he is a thermophilic fish, it has been able to grow also in the Moscow and Voronezh regions. Under favorable conditions, feeding this fish, with tasty and tender meat, can reach a length of 50-60 cm and weight up to 10 kg. of Sexual maturity of largemouth bass in the southern region reaches in a year or two, and in the North – to four years. Eggs females lay in a specially built nest, which is a saucer-like depression in the ground with a diameter of about 60 centimeters. With a body weight of about 1.5 kg and the female spawns up to 70 thousand eggs.
The male carefully protects their offspring, and guarding newly hatched from the eggs larvae. However, juveniles not long need of care. At the age of three to four months the fry themselves turn into predators, with no less zeal eats not only fish, but also tadpoles, and also small frogs. The growth of the range of victims considerably expanded. A two-year perch reach a weight of 300-500 grams, and three – 600-700 grams. This rapid growth provides a high economic effect when breeding this species is particularly advisable to breed largemouth bass in ponds inhabited by small weed fish.
Despite the hot nature and gluttony stone perch he can sit in ambush and wait for the victim will be at the right distance. Watching future lunch, perch hardly moving, only a sharp eye focused on the movements of your favorite delicacy. At any moment a cuckoo makes a sudden movement and grabs the prey.
Many underwater hunters talk about an incredibly brave character of our naval hero. Rock bass are so zealously defending its territory, that even the terrible harpoon doesn’t scare him.
Sea the cuckoo loves the depths of the sea, but all summer you can see it on stone shoals in the spawning period. This beautiful fish notice when diving the mask on the pebble beaches, small coves or the high Bank.
Stone perch meat is very tasty and useful, but large-scale hunting of endangered fish is not conducted.
