Chinese sturgeon pike

Chinese sturgeon pike

　　Chinese sturgeon pike

　　The Chinese sturgeon pike has a stout, slightly flattened spindle-shaped body, typically measuring 20–40 cm in length and weighing 150–400 grams. It features a large head that tapers sharply to a conical front, large eyes positioned high on the head, and a wide mouth with equally long upper and lower jaws, each lined with a single row of fine teeth; the vomer and palatine bones also bear teeth. The body is covered in small, round scales. The back is dark bluish-black or deep blue, and above the level of the pectoral fins on both sides there are irregular deep blue worm-like patterns. The belly is white with a slight yellowish tint. There are two dorsal fins set relatively far apart—the first dorsal fin has 9–10 spines, and the second dorsal fin aligns with the anal fin, with five small finlets located above and below behind it. The caudal fin is deeply forked, with two raised ridges on either side of the base. The pectoral fins are grayish-black, the anal fin is light pinkish, and the other fins are pale yellow.