Biology

Lives in schools in lowland rivers and lakes. Feeds on invertebrates, chiefly small crustaceans and insect larvae. Breeds in April-May among aquatic plants and on stony bottoms in shallow water. Threatened due to pollution, habitat destruction and the introduction of other species (Ref. 26100). The species is unique as it represents a stable all-male lineage nested within an almost all-female hybrid lineage (Ref. 49905).