Italian nase

Description

Chondrostoma soetta,or the Italian nase,is a species of freshwater fish in the Cyprinidae family.It is found in Italy,Slovenia,and Switzerland.Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater lakes.It is threatened by habitat loss and predation and competition from introduced species such as roach,wels catfish and the common nase.It has been extirpated from Slovenia and numbers are declining in the Italian and Swiss lakes of Lake Como,Lake Lugano,Lake Maggiore,Lake Iseo and Lake Garda.Some population which are descended from fish introduced to other lakes in Italy appear to be thriving.It has a tapered and compressed body on the sides;the lips are very developed and the mouth pointing downwards allows the search for food on the bottom.The dorsal and caudal fins are very developed making it an excellent swimmer even against the current.The livery has silvery flanks,white-yellow belly and gray-green back.In old age it reaches 45 cm per 1 kg of weight,but it is usually found at a lower size of about 25 cm.