Zingel (zingel Zingel) Streroer (zingel Streber)
The zingel is a long and slender member of the perch family with a large head and a relatively short caudal peduncle. Its mouth is nearly ventral and its body is a yellow-grey with small dark spots and four dark transverse blotches, which often disintegrate into a series of flecks. It lives close to the bottom in the deep currents of rivers. It is relatively immobile and during the daytime hides in suitable hollows. It spawns in April and May on the gravelly river bed. Its diet consists of invertebrates and small fish. It lives in the Danube and Dniester and their tributaries.
The streber is similar to the zingel, but its caudal peduncle is much longer and narrower. Its body is yellow-brown or grey-brown, with 4 to 5 distinct dark, slanting bars. It usually grows to a length of 12 to 17 cm. It lives in the fast-flowing currents near the river bed and is a predominantly nocturnal fish. It spawns in March and April and during this time its body takes on a metallic green sheen. It feeds on a range of invertebrates and inhabits the rivers Danube, Dniester and the tributaries of these rivers, which flow into the Black Sea. As with the preceding species, it penetrates Austria and Bavaria through the Danube.
Zingel zingel
Maximum size and weight:
50 cm, 500 g.
Identifying characteristics: Long, slender body with large head and nearly ventral mouth. 4 dark, transverse blotches on sides, often breaking up into spots.
Zingel streber
Maximum size and weight:
17 cm, 170 g.
Identifying characteristics: Long, slender body and strikingly long caudal peduncle, 4-5 conspicuous dark slanting bars on sides
