Fishes adn amphibians of Argentea
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| Eel
The eel presents a very long body, round section, snake-shaped. The skin is covered
from small scales and deeply plunged in the same teguments. The males can
reach a length of 50 cm, while the females can reach the 150 cm and weigh
until 6 kg. No other fish has a vital cycle so imposing and only many years
of intense researches have been able to clear all the mysteries of this species,
first of all the mystery related to the reproduction place. At a certain
moment of their life all the eels of European fresh waters abandon the rivers
and make for the sea and then they continue their travel until arriving in
one same area of the Atlantic ocean, the Sargassi Sea, to lay the eggs in
spring.
From the spawning of these eels, are born larva, transparent and in the shape
of willow leaf (leptocefali), some millimetres long, that begin to make for east.
Near the coasts, in the spring of their fourth year of life, the leptocefali
are transformed in small transparent eels, the elvers, that go up the rivers,
penetrating as much as possible to the inside, following an instinct that forces
thousand and thousand of young eels to exceed the difficulties of this migration
against the current: a part of the eels arrives in the lakes not communicating
with the rivers, covering underground springs and crossing damp meadows. During
this way they pigment and begin to gain in weight, feeding , at the beginning,
on small animals. In fresh water the eel becomes a fish with nocturnal habits,
that during the day lives hidden in lairs or dipped in the bottom. Depending
on the type of nourishment, we can distinguish two ecological shapes: "eel
with pointed head" that feed on bugs, larva, crustaceans and worms and "eel
with wide head" predator, that feed on fish.
The sexual maturity appears in the male after 9 years and in the females after
12 years of permanence in fresh waters. A new metamorphosis happens: the eyes
become bigger, the greenish colour of the back changes in dark and the yellowish
colour of the stomach changes in silver. The eels in this stage of their evolution
stop to feed and their alimentary canal atrophies; therefore from July to September,
during the nights, they abandon inland waters in order to reach, after one and
a half year, the Sargassi See where, after to have laid the eggs, they die.
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| Barbel
The Barbel has a tapered shape, the dorsal profile is more convex than the ventral
one; the head is pointed, turned towards the bottom with thick lower mouth
and lips, with four barbels; greenish coloration on the back more or less
black punctuated (above all in the young), golden yellow on the flanks and
whitish on the stomach. On average the barbel reaches the 30 cm, but can
however exceptionally exceed the 50-60 cm and the weight of 4 kg.
It lives in fresh waters of all the Italian territory, excluded the islands.
Its habits are the limpid running waters not too cold, with gravelly or stony
bottom (middle course of the rivers, area of the barbel); it lives also in the
coastal areas of deep lakes; the young are of sociable character and live in
small shoals, the adults are solitary. The Barbel feeds on invertebrates of bottom,
occasionally also detritus of bottom, vegetable material and small fishes.
The eggs measure approximately 2 millimetres and are laid in great number in
the period of May-June among the stones or on the sand, where remain until the
opening (10-15 days). The increase is slow (after one year the length is of 8-9
cm) and the maturity is reached to 4 or 5 years old.
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| Barbel “Canino”
The Barbel “Canino” looks like the common barbel, but differs in
some characteristics; the first hard ray of the backbone is not indented and
the two rear barbels are longer; its dimensions are reduced and reach to maximum
20 cm of length and 150 g of weight. Covered of small scales, the Barbel “canino” differs
from that common one for the livery, that it is darker, reddish tawny or yellowish
tawny on the upper parts, and for the bronze spots and some punctations scattered
on the head and the flanks that remember the trout aspect. The disposition of
the fins is identical.
The shape of the body is similar to that of the common barbel and presents many
dark spots, of irregular shape, on the flanks and the fins; shorter barbels than
those of the common barbel. Very rarely it exceeds the 20 cm of length.
The Barbel “Canino” lives in fresh waters of central and northern
Italy in limpid running waters, but also lacustrine littorals; it is more gregarious
of the common barbel and lives in shoals of small dimensions. It feed on invertebrates
of bottom and vegetable detritus.
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| Chub
The chub exceeds very rarely the 30 centimetres of length. The back is grey-green,
the flanks are silver and the fins are slightly red.
They are in the rivers and lakes of nearly all Europe, above all in the western
one.
In mountain the chub goes up the water course until thousand meters of altitude.
The chub is a predator of small fishes, crustaceans and frogs and eats up the
eggs of the other fish. Its meat, rich of fish bones, is not much valuable.
In the fish farms this meat is often utilized like nourishment for pikes and
trout.
Spread: Rivers and Lakes.
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| Dace
The Dace has a slender body with tawny back, silver flanks covered from one dark
strip, the stomach is white-silver; the base of the ventral and pectoral
fins is orange coloured.
The shape of the mouth is very characteristic, similar only to the Savetta, for
the position turned towards the bottom and for the presence of horny lips. The
reproduction takes place between March and May, on pebbly or gravelly depths
. The eggs have a diameter of approximately 1,5 millimetres and stick to the
bottom; the opening happens about 10 days after the lay. The adults do not exceed
the 25 cm of length. Its diet is omnivorous and is composed from the vegetables
and animals organisms that cover the bottom. It’s a species that frequents
the running waters in more or less numerous shoals; however we can find it also
in less stormy waters and also in lakes. The Dace usually lives rather in depth.
It feed scraping the bottom thanks to the particular shape of the mouth.
In Italy it is native of the northern and central regions of the Adriatic side.
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| Temporary Frog
The body of the temporary frog is sturdy and the snout is slightly rounded. The
fore limbs are short and massive.
The back coloration is particularly variable: tawny-yellowish, grey or reddish
often with dark spots; the temporal spot, behind the eyes, is particularly dark
and clear; the stomach is yellowish white, often with darker spots.
The males present the fore limbs very sturdy and supplied, on the inner side
of the first finger, with a large callosity: this legs structure allows to the
male to stick more steadily to the female during the mating.
This frog reaches the 10 cm. The temporary frog is a terricolous species that
uses the temporary pools, as for example formed with break-up, for the reproduction.
The eggs are laid in roundish masses, than in surface assume a discoidal shape.
In favourable climatic conditions the larva evolve in adult frogs in 2 months
and a half.
The larva can delay the metamorphosis if the climatic conditions are adverse,
and to wait the end of the winter for evolve in adults. This animal prefers the
forests and the mountain meadowland, near the streams, lakes, pools used for
the reproduction.
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| Toad
The body of the toad is stocky, the snout is rounded and the pupil is horizontal.
The skin has a warty aspect. Laterally on the head divergent bulges are evident.
The back presents a variable coloration from the tawny-yellowish to the reddish
to the grey- greenish with dark spots.
The male measures approximately 10 cm (the half of the female) and moreover possesses
sturdier and powerful front limbs.
The toad leads a nearly exclusively nocturnal life, passing the day and the colder
seasons under the stones, in the old walls, etc. Generally the toad moves walking
and, if alarmed, jumping. During the reproductive period it is active also during
the day.
The mating happens in the water, even if can begin to earth. Sometimes it continues
for weeks, and can happen to meet the female that moves on the land transporting
the male on the back. The female lays more than 6000 eggs completely black, with
a diameter of 1,5-2 millimetres, disposed on 3-4 rows to the inside of an only
gelatinous cord, until to 5 m long. The deposition happens between February and
June (mainly in March-April) also in brackish waters. If the climatic conditions
are good, the larva slips away after approximately two weeks and metamorphoses
after approximately 2-3 months.
When the toad meets a predator, it assumes a peculiar position with the lowered
head and the posterior part of the body raised.
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| Salamander
The salamander has a long and narrow body with short and massive legs and evident
glands behind the eyes, the tail is short and rather sturdy. The body is
black with yellow, orange or reddish spots, more or less large and numerous.
The larva of salamander has different characteristics: the presence of a dorsal
crest on the tail, than extends forward on the body, and that tends to decrease
with the development; the extremity of the tail is rounded; the coloration of
the back is tawny-greyish and the stomach is whitish; a clear spot on the legs;
the following presence of the yellow spots.
The spotted salamander lives in terricolous environments like bedstead, lairs
of small mammalian, underbrush of beechwoods or firs and beechwoods, chestnut
woods, etc.
This Amphibian is active above all to the twilight and of night, above all when
the climate is humid and rainy. It moves itself slowly, and very rarely it goes
away more than some meter from its diurnal shelter. The eggs are developed inner
in the female that, when they have caught up a good degree of development, catch
up the water pools in order to give birth from 10 to 70 larva that, subsequently,
they will be developed in adult individuals. This amphibian prefers wooded atmospheres,
pushing itself not beyond 800 m in alpine atmosphere. The ignited colors and
live us of the salamander carry out an important comunicativa function, sending
to upgrade them predator a message of allerta. The skin this Amphibian, in fact,
produces varied substances that can irritate the mouth and the eyes of the predator.
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| Alpine Newt
the alpine Tritone is a timid and classified animal small, enough legacy to the
water. As in many other species of Amphibians the females have greater dimensions
of the males and can catch up i 12 cm of length. To outside of alive the
riproduttivo period this Amphibian in the forests, hiding of day under one
knows and the leaves; it only exits of night in order to nourish itself of
small worms, bugs, snails. In winter the Tritoni goes in letargo, protect
in fissures in the land, under cliffs or in the wood I march of the old ceppaie.
In spring they make instead return in the humid zones where the reproduction
is carried out: to torbiere, smalls lake and sources until to 2500 meters
of altitude. During the parades lovings the males exhibit a striking wedding
dress characterized from one yellowish, low dorsal crest and to smooth hem,
crossed or punctuated of black. Once placed small eggs, they schiudono and
the larve are developed that nutrono of prede animals and are breathed for
means of piumose gills, with which they extract oxygen from the water. Within
the autumn the larve they complete the metamorphosis assuming the aspect
of the adults and leave the pond in order to lead land life.
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| Crested Newt
the Tritone Crestato must its name to the fact that during the period of the
loves the male introduces in fact an imposing dorsal crest that confers it
the aspect of a small dredges. Back and flanks are of color from dark brown
to black, to cosparsi of tondeggianti black spots. The sides are picchiettati
of white man. Striking and very recognizable also in water nacre is the long
band color the sides of the tail. The female is instead much less showy,
since unprovided of the crest and the black spots on the back and the flanks
and deprives of wraps clear on the tail. With a total length of 12-18 cm
it is but of leggermente greater rule of male (10-16 cm). Common to the two
seies it is the ventre of color from yellow clearly to rossastro-orange,
cosparso of black spots or points that go to form a much variable design
from individual to individual. In the period terragnolo, ad.eccezione.del
ventre the nearly completely black animals are of norm and the crest of the
males appears much reduced. To difference of the males, the females maintain
however to the color yellow-orange also on the cloaca and the inferior part
of the tail, that that allows to recognize them easy. The popola crestato
Tritone practically all Europe centers them. Its areale of distribution extends
from France centers them until the Urali, respective from the Scozia and
Scandinavia until the Balkans through the depositor nordalpino. It is possible
to meet it until an altitude of 1200 meters.
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| Punctuated Newt
In Italy the punctuated Newt often shares the habitat with the Crested Newt (Triturus
carnifex); the characteristic punctuation, more evident in the male, gave
it the name. The male distinguishes himself from the female by a generally
bright coloration, by a marked striping by the sides of the head, by the
caudal crest and by the enlarged cloaca in the reproductive period.
It’s typical of the low quotas and in the middle of its distribution areal,
the punctuated Newt occupies a great variety of water bodies: above all sunny
ponds and peat bogs, places that often give hospitality to different communities
of aquatic and amphibious species. It avoids the shady and fresh waters. The
places with a luxuriant, aquatic vegetation are optimal, because offer the shelter
possibility and structures suitable for the deposition. Unlike the Crested Newt,
the Punctuated Newt is easier to observe while it swims free in the water, where
finds also the food.
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| Fario Trout
The fario trout has a lengthened body, compressed laterally with the bended dorsal
profile that increases with the age, its livery is variable, because it depends
on the habitat in which it lives; generally it can be asserted that the back
is grey- greenish with a tendency to the darker tones, the flanks are from
the tawny of the back, more and more vanishing and reaching the white-yellowish
of the abdomen. On the back and on the flanks there are a variable number
of black spots of irregular shape and some times are present also larger
spots of red colour. The spots are present on the two dorsal fins but absent
on the tail fin. The snout is obtuse with a large mouth. All the body is
covered with small cycloid and mucus scales. Also its dimension (at most
cm 100) is extremely tied to the habitat; you can find exemplary of 2-3 kg
in favourable environments, like great rivers, while it is possible to find
complete populations of about twenty centimetres in environments with insufficient
food.
The Fario trout lives in very oxygenated and low temperature waters, the optimal
temperature is around the 12° centigrade degrees, while to 22° it becomes
lethal. The trout is predator to all the vital stages and feed on crustaceans,
bugs and fish; the nutritional activity happens mostly in periods in which the
brightness is low, for example to the twilight or in very cloudy days. The sexual
maturity is caught up after 2-3 years and the mating happens in the autumnal
period (October-December) with the lay of approximately 2500 eggs for kilogram
of fish. The large eggs are reddish and 4-5 millimetres. The fario trout lays
eggs in the gravel where the water is low and the current is constant and in
order to reach this place the trout does not get out of long migrations. The
mating ritual happens with the digging out of a hole from the female which lays
the eggs that are immediately fertilised from the male and therefore covered
with the removed gravel. The eggs hatch after approximately 45 days, all at the
same time, leaving to come out crowds of fry that will be sit on the bottom,
waiting for the last transformation that will lead them to assume the aspect
of the adult individual.
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| Vairone
The Vairone has the tapering body and rounded snout. The back is grey- greenish
or tawny, the stomach is silver. The flanks are covered from a horizontal
dark band that begins behind the eye and that in some cases can be not very
evident; under the lateral line, and parallel to it, an orange pigmentation
can be present. The pectoral, ventral and anal fins present orange tones.
The ventral reproduces between May and August; the eggs, that measure approximately
2 millimetres of diameter, are laid, generally at night, on preferably gravely
bottoms. The sexual maturity is caught up after 3 years approximately, when
the Vaironi measures 10-12 cm. The increase is enough slow. Usually the Vairone
does not exceed the 20-25 cm of length. The diet is varied and includes vegetables
and invertebrates, above all bugs, captured also on the surface of the water.
It’s a rather exacting fish and prefers above all fresh and oxygenated
waters, localizing in prevalence in the lower zone in comparison with the
Trout; more rarely in the zone to Barbel and in lakes. The Vairone is gregarious
and usually lives in not very big shoals. It’s diffused in centre-northern
Italy; the southern limit of its areal is unknown with certainty.
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