Ninespine stickleback
Encyclopedia
The ninespine stickleback (Pungitius pungitius), also called the ten-spined stickleback, is a freshwater
species
of fish
in the Gasterosteidae family that inhabits temperate waters. Widely but locally distributed throughout the UK
and along the Atlantic coast
of North America
, it is also found in many northern
and eastern Europe
an countries, in Greenland
and in Turkey
, and in the Far East
. Despite its name, the number of spines can vary from 8 to 12.
It lives in extremely weedy ditches and river
s as its small spines do not offer much protection. They have scutes or bony plates all the way down their body.
During the breeding season (April to July), the male develops a black belly and builds a nest suspended on a piece of waterweed, about an inch or so above the substrate at the bottom. The female is attracted over by the male and she lays eggs inside the nest. The male guards these eggs and the young fry when they hatch. Then when they have their spines he drives them away to look after themselves.
The colouring when not breeding is usually a dark brown, although females are a lot lighter cloured than the males. The male is normally chocolate brown with darker stripes and spots. His eyes are dark with a gold ring around his pupils, While on the three spined the eyes are silver. The female is more of a dark tan colour and has darker markings. It may have a silver belly and silver eyes. No two sticklebacks are the same; they are unique, just like human fingerprints. The body is a lot more elongated than the three spined stickleback with a thinner and longer caudal peduncal.
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
in the Gasterosteidae family that inhabits temperate waters. Widely but locally distributed throughout the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and along the Atlantic coast
Atlantic Coast
The Atlantic Coast is any coast fronting the Atlantic Ocean. The term differentiates the coasts of countries or continents with coastlines on more than one body of water, such as North America, South America, Africa and Europe.-See also:*Indian Ocean...
of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, it is also found in many northern
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
and eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an countries, in Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
and in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and in the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. Despite its name, the number of spines can vary from 8 to 12.
It lives in extremely weedy ditches and river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s as its small spines do not offer much protection. They have scutes or bony plates all the way down their body.
During the breeding season (April to July), the male develops a black belly and builds a nest suspended on a piece of waterweed, about an inch or so above the substrate at the bottom. The female is attracted over by the male and she lays eggs inside the nest. The male guards these eggs and the young fry when they hatch. Then when they have their spines he drives them away to look after themselves.
The colouring when not breeding is usually a dark brown, although females are a lot lighter cloured than the males. The male is normally chocolate brown with darker stripes and spots. His eyes are dark with a gold ring around his pupils, While on the three spined the eyes are silver. The female is more of a dark tan colour and has darker markings. It may have a silver belly and silver eyes. No two sticklebacks are the same; they are unique, just like human fingerprints. The body is a lot more elongated than the three spined stickleback with a thinner and longer caudal peduncal.