The starry sturgeon (''Huso stellatus''), also known as the stellate sturgeon or sevruga (Drakul, , and ), is a species of sturgeon. It is native to the

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, Azov, Caspian and Aegean sea basins, but it has been

extirpated Local extinction, also extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinctions. Local extinctions mark a chan ...

from the last and it is predicted that the remaining natural population will follow soon due to

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing Fish stocks, fish stock), resu ...

. The starry sturgeon is an anadromous species, which migrates up rivers to spawn. It is considered

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

and international trade in this species (including its caviar) is restricted by CITES.

Taxonomy

Prior to 2025, it was placed in the genus '' Acipenser'', but this placement was found to be

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

, and it is more accurately placed in the genus ''

Huso ''Huso'' is a genus of sturgeons from eastern Europe, Asia, and eastern North America. The genus name is derived from ''wikt:huso, hūso'', the Old High German and Medieval Latin word for "sturgeon", which is also ancestral to ''wikt:Hausen, Haus ...

''.

Description

The starry sturgeon reaches about in length and weighs up to . It is a slim-bodied fish easily distinguished from other sturgeons by its long, thin and straight snout. A row of five small barbels lies closer to the mouth than to the tip of the snout. The scales on the lateral line number between thirty and forty and these features distinguish this fish from the Russian sturgeon (''Huso gueldenstaedtii''). Its general colouring is dark greyish-green or brown with a pale underside. The scales on the lateral line are pale. The maximum reported age for this species is 27 years.

Biology

The starry sturgeon is a harmless species that feeds on fish, worms,

crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...

s and mollusks. It lies on the bottom during the day and feeds mostly at night. This fish is anadromous and moves upriver into shallow waters to spawn.

Uses

The starry sturgeon is an important commercial species of fish. It is one of the three most important species for caviar, see Sevruga caviar, along with the Beluga sturgeon and the Ossetra sturgeon. Its flesh is considered an expensive delicacy in the Caspian region. It is used to make kabaabs, or is consumed pan fried, broiled, or smoked. There have been several attempts in Russia,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, and the United States to adapt this species for

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...

, with varying degrees of success. The resilience of this species is low. The minimum population doubling time is 4.5 – 14 years.

Conservation

The species is believed to have undergone a loss of 95 percent of its population in three generations. Illegal fishing is a major threat to the survival of this species.

References

External links

* Acipenser Fish of the Black Sea Fish of the Caspian Sea Fish of the Sea of Azov Fish of Central Asia Fish of Europe Critically endangered fish Critically endangered fauna of Asia Critically endangered biota of Europe Taxa named by Peter Simon Pallas Fish described in 1771 {{Acipenseriformes-stub