Southern pike
(Esox cisalpinus)
Classification
Species:
Esox cisalpinus
Genus:
Esox - Pikes
Family: Esocidae - Pikes
Order: Esociformes - Pikes
Superclass: Osteichthyes - Bony fishes
Esox cisalpinus, the southern pike, is a species of freshwater fish known from central and northern Italy, southeastern France and Switzerland, and it might also occur in the western Balkans.
It has traditionally been considered a southern European variant of the widespread northern pike (Esox lucius), but was described as a separate species in 2011.
Like the northern pike, southern pike are an important species for recreational fisheries and for its role as a top predator in freshwater ecosystems.