Ide (fish)
The ide, or orfe, is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae found in larger rivers, ponds, and lakes across northern Europe and Asia. It has been introduced outside its native range in Europe, North America and New Zealand. It is a popular ornamental fish, usually kept in outdoor ponds in temperate regions from which it often escapes.
Etymology
The name "ide" is from Swedish id, originally referring to its bright colour. The alternative name "orfe" derives from German orf, through the Latin orphus meaning a "sea fish" or "sea perch" which in turn derives from the Greek orphōs. The generic name Leuciscus is derived from the Greek word leykiskos which means "white mullet".Subspecies
There are two recognised subspecies of the ide:- Leuciscus idus idus the nominate subspecies; and
- Leuciscus idus oxianus from central Asia.
Description
The dorsal fin has 3 spines and 8-11 soft rays, the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 - 11 soft rays while the caudal fin has 19 rays. There are 47 vertebrae. It is distinguished from other European members of the genus Leucsicus by the lateral line having 56-58 scales; 3.5-5.3 pharyngeal teeth, in having a terminal mouth and it has branching in 8% of the dorsal rays and 10% of the anal rays. They grow to 25–50 cm in length and the normal weight range is 0.5–1.5 kg and they seldom attain weights of over 2 kg. The European rod caught record is 5.5 kg. There have, however, been reports of ides attaining total lengths of about 100 cm and growing to weights of 8 kg.
Distribution
The ide is native to Europe and western Asia from the rivers draining into the North Sea east through southern Scandinavia and eastern Europe to the Caspian Sea drainage and the River Lena. As a popular ornamental fish it was introduced to Great Britain in 1874 and is now widespread in England and Wales but only has a localised distribution in Scotland. It was introduced into France and from there and Germany was introduced as an ornamental fish into the Netherlands.Outside of Europe the ide was first taken to the United States of America in 1877, when live specimens were imported by the United States Fish Commission to be intentionally stocked in US waters and this was subsequently done by state agencies too, the species also spread through escapes from commercial and government ponds. It has now been reported from nine states but its status in the United States remains uncertain as many records are old and of a few individuals and it appears that the species has either failed to establish self-sustaining populations or has been eradicated.
The ide was illegally imported into New Zealand in the post as eggs, sometime in the 1980s. Fish were subsequently released between 1985–86 in no less than 8 and possibly as many as 13 sites north of Auckland. It is thought that ide did not last very long in at least 7 of the sites where releases occurred, the outcome in most of the other sites is unknown and at least one of the release sites remains unknown. It is probable that ide persist in the wild in at least one site within New Zealand.
Habitat and ecology
Ide occurs in schools in the clear pools of larger rivers, ponds, and lakes but they may move to deeper waters during the winter before moving into shallow freshwater to spawn in the spring. The species is also found in the Baltic Sea, which has a lower salinity than most seas and in Sweden the fish spends the first year of their lives in rivers before joining the more mature fish as they migrate downstream into the Baltic Sea during the summer months. The fish then return to the rivers in the autumn where they remain close the mouths and in the lower reaches throughout the winter.The ide reaches sexual maturity at 3–5 years of age and once they have attained total lengths which vary from 22 cm to 43 cm, although in cooler waters they may first breed as late as 7 years of age. It spawns in shallow water in the Spring, soon after the ice has melted in the colder parts of its range. Some populations are migratory and will ascend rivers and streams to spawn, but others will also spawn in shallow parts of lakes and sea inlets. Eggs are usually laid among gravel or on emergent vegetation. Spawning normally lasts for 3–4 days during which the fish are very active. Each female spawns only once a season but during spawning, she will mate with several males and the males gather at spawning grounds where they follow ripe females. The females may lay as few as 15,000 and as many as 250,000 eggs, which are about2mm in diameter and pale yellow in colour, in a season. The eggs hatch in 1–2 weeks, the young fry being 8–10 mm long. The actual incubation period of eggs varies depending on the water temperature, at 18.5-22.0 °C incubation takes about 5 days, with the optimal temperature for embryonic development being in the range of 12-18 °C.
The typical prey of the ide is larval and adult insects, snails, and other benthic invertebrates for smaller fish but larger individuals can be piscivorous, with common roach and common bleak being commonly taken. The smaller fish, larvae and juveniles occupy a wide variety of shoreline habitats to feed, they leave the shore areas and move into deeper waters as they grow larger. Smaller ide are sociable and will join mixed shoals of other cyprinids, but the larger adult fish form smaller single species groups which patrol what are believed to be regular routes. The ide prefers clear, warmer water and is not as tolerant of eutrophication as some related species. Ide spawn in running water and this means that the obstruction of rivers by dams and other man-made objects can negatively affect this fish.
Human uses
As an ornamental fish the ide is usually referred to as the orfe and the main variety kept is the golden orfe, which is golden or orange in colour with some black spots on its neck, near the head. There is also a much less common blue variety known as the blue orfe. As they grow quite large they are not considered to be suitable for indoor aquariums and it is normally recommended that they are kept outside as a shoal in a pond. They require better oxygenated water than koi or goldfish but can be kept in association with these species. Golden orfe were very popular as an ornamental pond fish until koi became readily available in the 1960s.In their native range they are popular as a quarry for anglers, in eastern Europe the ide is regarded as edible and is prized as a food fish and are netted and sold commercially along the Danube. However, in more northern parts of the range they are not regarded as a desirable food fish. They are also fished for as coarse fish in the United Kingdom but there they tend to be localised to commercial fisheries or to sites where they have been introduced.