Kingdom: Animalia > Phylum: Chordata > Class: Actinopterygii > Order: Acipenseriformes > Family: Acipenseridae > Genus: Acipenser > Species: Acipenser ruthenus

Sterlet - Acipenser ruthenus Linnaeus, 1758

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Quick facts

Threat status Europe	Vulnerable (IUCN)
EU conservation status by biogeographical region	Alpine - Unfavourable-Inadequate
	Continental - Unfavourable-Bad
	Pannonian - Unfavourable-Inadequate
	Steppic - Unfavourable-Bad
Protected by	EU Habitats Directive and 4 other international agreements
Most preferred habitats	rivers and lakes
Natura 2000 species code	2487

Distribution

The distribution map is currently disabled. A new map solution will soon become available. In the meantime, please consult other species distribution map providers listed in the Other resources panel below.

Threat and conservation status

IUCN Red List status of threatened species

The IUCN Red List threat status assesses the risk of extinction.

World

Vulnerable

Europe

Vulnerable

IUCN Red List Category

Not Evaluated	Near Threatened	Regionally Extinct
Not Applicable	Vulnerable	Extinct in the Wild
Data Deficient	Endangered	Extinct
Least Concern	Critically Endangered

Sources:

EU conservation status

Conservation status assesses every six years and for each biogeographical region the condition of habitats and species compared to the favourable status as described in the Habitats Directive. The map shows the 2007-2012 assessments as reported by EU Member State. Assessments are further detailed in the summary document available behind the link below.

Favourable: the species is viable and maintaining itself on a long-term basis, its natural range is not reduced, and it has a sufficient large habitat.
Unfavourable-Inadequate: the species is not as critical as being unfavourable-bad, but still requires significant conservation and restoration measure to make it viable in the long-term, or to enlarged its current range, or to improve the quality and availability of its habitat.
Unfavourable-Bad: the species is either not maintaining itself on a long-term basis and is not viable, or its natural range as been or is being drastically reduced, or its habitat is largely insufficient; the species requires major conservation and restoration measures.
Unknown: the information available for the species is scarce and does not allow a proper assessment of its conservation status.

Sources:

Full table details

Conservation status (2007-2012) of species (Habitats Directive, Article 17) by EU Member State:

country	region	conclusion
Austria	Alpine	Unknown
Austria	Continental	Unfavourable-Bad
Bulgaria	Continental	Unknown
Czech Republic	Pannonian	Unfavourable-Bad
Hungary	Pannonian	Unfavourable-Inadequate
Romania	Continental	Unfavourable-Bad
Romania	Pannonian	Unfavourable-Bad
Romania	Steppic	Unfavourable-Bad

Natura 2000 sites

Not available

Legal status

Mentioned in the following international legal instruments and agreements

Legal text	Annex	Conditions	More information
Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora - consolidated version 01/01/2007 (EU Habitats Directive)	Annex V: animal and plant species of community interest whose taking in the wild and exploitation may be subject to management measures. (All species of Acipenseridae not mentioned in Annex IV)		http://ec.europa.eu/environm...rective/index_en.htm
Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats (Bern Convention)	Annex III: protected fauna species		http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cul.../bern/default_en.asp
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. (Bonn Convention)	Annex II: migratory species which have an unfavourable conservation status and which require international agreements for their conservation and management, as well as those which have a conservation status which would significantly benefit from the international co-operation that could be achieved by an international agreement.	Danube population	http://www.cms.int/
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)	Annex II: (a) all species which, although not necessarily now threatened with extinction, may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival; and (b) other species which must be subject to regulation in order that trade in specimens of certain species referred to in sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph may be brought under effective control.		http://www.cites.org/eng
Commission regulation (EU) No 1320/2014, of 1 December 2014, amending Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein (EU regulation of trade of fauna and flora)	Annex B includes: All other CITES Appendix II species, except where EU Member States have entered a reservation; Some CITES Appendix III species * Some non-CITES species		http://ec.europa.eu/environm...s/legislation_en.htm

Common names and synonyms

Common Name	Language	Reference
Cega	Romanian	Fishbase
Chiga	Bulgarian	Fishbase
Cigã	Romanian	Fishbase
Esterlete	Spanish	Fishbase
Esturgeon de Sibérie	French	Fishbase
Esturión de Siberia	Spanish	Fishbase
Jeseter malý	Czech	Fishbase
Kecsege	Hungarian	Fishbase
Sterlet	Danish	Fishbase
Sterlet	English	Fishbase
Sterlet	French	Fishbase
Sterlet	German	Fishbase
Sterlet a. czeczuga	Polish	Fishbase
Sterlet sturgeon	English	Fishbase
Sterlett	German	Fishbase
Sterlett	Norwegian	Fishbase
Sterlett	Swedish	Fishbase
Sterletti	Finnish	Fishbase
Sterljad	Russian	Fishbase
Sterlyad'	Russian	Fishbase

Synonym	Author
Acipenser (Sterletus) kankreni	Duméril (ex Valenciennes), 1870
Acipenser helenae	Duméril (ex Valenciennes), 1870
Acipenser kostera	Fitzinger, 1832
Acipenser marsiglii	Brandt & Ratzeburg, 1833
Acipenser kamensis	Lovetzky, 1834
Acipenser gmelini	Fitzinger, 1836
Acipenser lovetzkyi	Duméril, 1870
Acipenser kankreni	Duméril, 1870
Acipenser jenisensis	Herzenstein, 1895
Acipenser ruthenicus	Brusina, 1902
Acipenser sterlet	Brusina, 1902
Acipenser dubius	Brusina, 1902
Acipenser ruthensis	Linnaeus, 1758
Acipenser pygmaeus	Pallas, 1814
Acipenser ruthenus sibiricus	Dybowski, 1874
Acipenser ruthenus ruzskyi	Ioganzen, 1946
Acipenser ruthenus leucotica	Brandt, 1851
Acipenser ruthenus grisescens	Brandt, 1851
Sterledus ruthenus sibiricus	Dybowski, 1874
Acipenser ruthenus albinea	Brusina, 1902
Acipenser ruthenus birostrata	Brusina, 1902
Acipenser ruthenus obtusirostris	Brusina, 1902
Acipenser ruthenus septemcarinata	Brusina, 1902
Acipenser ruthenus alba	Antipa, 1909
Acipenser ruthenus erytraea	Antipa, 1909
Acipenser ruthenus brevirostris	Antipa, 1909

Other resources

CoL (accepted name)	Catalogue of Life
Fauna Europaea	Fauna Europaea
FishBase	FishBase
GBIF	Global Biodiversity Information Facility
Habitats Directive Art. 17-2006 summary
ITIS (Valid name)	Interagency Taxonomic Information System
NCBI search	National Center for Biotechnology Information
NOBANIS: Acipenser ruthenus	European Network on Invasive Alien Species
PESI (Accepted)	Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure
Species+	Species+ by UNEP-WCMC
Wikipedia	Wikipedia
WoRMS	World Register of Marine Species

External data

No external data sets available for this species

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