Chondrostei (sturgeons) >
Acipenseriformes (Sturgeons and paddlefishes) >
Acipenseridae (Sturgeons) > Acipenserinae
Etymology: Pseudoscaphirhynchus: Greek, pseudes = false + Greek, skaphe = boat + Greek, rhyngchos = snout (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: Lieutenant-General Konstantin Petrovich von Kaufmann (1818–1882) was trained as a military engineer and served in the Caucasus (1838). [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Issue
Species of the genus Pseudoscaphirhynchus belong to the subfamily Acipenserinae, and not Scaphirhynchinae as it was previously considered (V. Birstein, pers. comm. 03/05 ).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; brackish; demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 1 - 2 m (Ref. 109751). Temperate; 10°C - 20°C (Ref. 2059)
Asia: Former USSR: Amu Darya River from the Pyandzh to the mouths and lower tributaries. Sometimes in the brackish water of Taldyk Bay, the delta of the Amu Darya in the Aral Sea. Considered close to extinction (Ref. 6866). Registered in the 1984 USSR Red Book; 1985 Turkmen SSR Red Data Book; 1996 IUCN Red List (Ref. 35930).
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 45.0 range ? - ? cm
Max length : 75.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 593); max. published weight: 2.0 kg (Ref. 593)
Its natural habitat and population have declined due to the breakage of the hydrological regime of the Amu Dariya River. Usual weight not more than 600-700 grams. Females with mature hard roe, very rare. Apparently sensitive to oxygen content in the water, changes in its chemical content, and to pollution. Fishing is prohibited (Ref. 35930). Spawns at 16° C (Ref. 719).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Berg, L.S., 1962. Freshwater fishes of the U.S.S.R. and adjacent countries. volume 1, 4th edition. Israel Program for Scientific Translations Ltd, Jerusalem. (Russian version published 1948). (Ref. 593)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.6250 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00309 (0.00138 - 0.00693), b=3.17 (2.98 - 3.36), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±0.3 se; based on diet studies.
Generation time: 8.5 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 2
growth studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.16; tm=6-7).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): High vulnerability (59 of 100).
