The Stud (Gobio gobio)

Class of the Actinopterygian order of Cypriniformes family of cyprinid Gobio gobio (Linnaeus, 1758)

The stud is a fusiform body and round section. His body is covered with large scales. The belly of the stud is straight. His head is massive and has a thick nose. The mouth is widely inferred with 2 features barbels. The dorsal fin is narrow, high and present a short base as well as the anal fin. The caudal fin is forked and present a clear indentation.

Its usual size is 8-15 cm for a weight of 20 to 30 g. The maximum size is 20 cm for a weight of 150 g.

Stud presents a coloring allowing it well to blend into the gravelly bottom of streams. His back has a dark brown green colouring. The flanks are brown yellowish with silver glints, they are marked with dark spots blue and violet. The belly is whitish in color. A Brown line is visible between the eye and the snout. The dorsal, anal and caudal fins are mottled with black.

He lives an average of 5 to 7 years.

Stud search his food by searching the sandy substrate due to its inferior mouth and barbels. It is a carnivore or benthic Insectivores. It feeds mainly on worms, amphipods, small molluscs, annelid worms and insect larvae.

The breeding season extends from May to June in areas of current. During this period, the male has special characteristics: the tubercles. Spawning occurs among stones and aquatic vegetation to which adhering eggs. The female drops packets of eggs directly on the substrate. These are not the subject of parental care. Incubation lasts from 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the temperature of the water.

Stud like clear, common and well-oxygenated waters but it can be also found in stagnant waters deep, especially on bottom of gravel. It is a gregarious fish forming shoals of variable density. It remains near the bottom or close to the shore in shallow areas.

The stud has a wide distribution, it is widespread in Western, Central and Eastern Europe to the Urals. The southern limit of its distribution is located north of the Pyrenees, but it was introduced in Spain and extends in the Douro and Tagus basins. Its range extends beyond the basin of the Black Sea to the rivers North and West of the Caspian Sea. In the South, it is found in the rivers of the Adriatic (except in Dalmatia and Greece) and in Turkey. On the other hand, it is absent from Northern Europe (Norway, North of Sweden and Finland).

The stud bites the worm's vase or the piece of earthworm. To attract these small fish, the fisherman can stir the bottom of the rivers in sandy substrate. The pin can use as bait for fishing Pike. It is excellent frying.