Life habits and nutritional value of Laotou fish, perch and pond snakehead

Perccottus glehni belongs to the order Perccottus glehni, the suborder Goby, the family Perccottus glehni, and the genus Perccottus glehni. Commonly known as: Shan Fattou, Shagu Perch, Huanyang Fish, Old Man Fish. English name: Perch sleeper.

The body is thick and short, slightly spindle-shaped, with a cylindrical front part and flat sides at the back. The head is large and flat, the snout is pointed and flat, there is a large bony bulge in the middle of the back of the snout, and the area between the eyes is wide and slightly concave. The mouth is large, superior, and cleft obliquely. The lower jaw is slightly protruding and extends back below the eyeballs. There are villous sharp-toothed bands on the upper and lower jaws and vomer bones. The tongue is broad and long, with a rounded and free front edge. The eyes are medium-sized, located laterally, and are very convex. The upper edge is covered by the eyelids, and the upper orbital bone is raised as a bony ridge. There are two pairs of nostrils, the front nostril is slightly tubular; the posterior edge of the gill cover is spineless. The scales are medium-large, with scales on the head and gill covers and no lateral lines. There are two dorsal fins, not connected; the pectoral fins are well developed and the trailing edge is rounded; the pelvic fins are small, located on the chest and separated from each other; the trailing edge of the caudal fin is rounded. The back and sides of the body are dark brown or greenish brown, and the abdomen is lighter. There are irregular brown-edged horizontal stripes on the side of the body; the first dorsal fin has 2 rows and the second dorsal fin has 6 rows of light yellow-green spots; the anal fin has 4 rows and the caudal fin has 6-7 rows of light green-brown spots; the posterior edge of the eye and its lower part There are 3 brown-green stripes behind the direction. During the reproductive period, a beautiful peacock green wedding dress appears on the body of the male fish, and white spots appear on the dorsal fin.

It likes to inhabit still water in small tributaries of rivers, especially in pools with overgrown aquatic plants. It is not very mobile and does not travel far; it is resistant to hypoxia and can survive in extremely hypoxic conditions. It has a strong overwintering ability and can lurk in the mud at the bottom of the water, in a state of hibernation, and almost stops moving. It can survive the winter safely in shallow marshes, so it is known as the "Huanyang fish". They mainly feed on insect larvae, beetle larvae and small shrimps, and larger individuals also eat juvenile fish. Generally, 2-year-old fish with a body length of 6 cm become sexually mature, and the spawning period is from early June to July. The suitable water temperature for spawning is 16-20°C. After the eggs are laid, they adhere to aquatic plants and are arranged neatly. The male fish has the habit of protecting the hatching eggs, and the juvenile fish will actively ask for food 2 days after hatching.

Distributed in Heilongjiang, Tumen River, Liaohe and other river systems, it is generally produced in swamps.

Snakehead in perch pond is a common fish with wide distribution and strong vitality. Due to their small size and the fact that they live in swamps and marshes, they are prone to parasites and are often not popular with people. In fact, its meat is tender, has few thorns, is delicious, rich in nutrients, and has high edible value.

animal tags：