Gasterosteus aculeatus, Linnaeus, 1758

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 824-825

Gasterosteus aculeatus

Common name. Threespine stickleback.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from all other freshwater fishes in West Asia by: ● 3 spines in front of dorsal. Size up to 60 mm SL.

Distribution. Localised in Mediterranean basin: Dalaman (southern Aegean) south to Nahr Surit, a coastal river in Syria. Widespread in Black Sea and introduced in Caspian basin. Widespread in Europe, northern Asia, and America.

Habitat. Streams, lakes, and ponds with slow to moderate currents, clear water, and sandy bottoms. In Mediterranean basin, usually in spring-fed waters, but also found in other habitats (including brackish waters in Po delta). In Europe, often pelagic at sea.

Gasterosteus aculeatus ; Lake GÖlhisar basin, Türkiye; immature individual, 35 mm SL.

Gasterosteus aculeatus ; Lake GÖlhisar basin, Türkiye; nuptial male, ~ 50 mm SL.

Open Access. © 2025 JÖrg Freyhof, Baran Yoğurtçuoğlu, Arash Jouladeh-Roudbar and Cüneyt Kaya, published by De Gruyter. the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111677811-047

This work is licensed under

Biology. Only resident populations in West Asia, anadromous and resident in Europe. Spawns in April–May in Spain, May–July in Italy in springs, and earlier in brackish waters, at temperatures above 12°C. Spawns first time at 1 year. During spawning season, male develop a bright red belly, defend their territory against rivals, and build a nest on bottom in relatively shallow areas. They dig a depression into which they place plant material glued together with kidney secretions and covered with sand, leaving only a visible entrance. Several females are led into nest to spawn and are then chased away. Male guard and fan

Pungitius platygaster ; Danube delta, Romania; ~ 45 mm SL.