Sterlet
Acipenser ruthenus Linnaeus, 1758
The sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), also called the sterlet sturgeon, is a bony fish in the family Acipenseridae. It belongs to the order Acipenseriformes and the class Chondrostei, and its scientific name was given by Linnaeus, 1758.
Quick facts about the sterlet
The IUCN Red List assesses the sterlet globally as Endangered (EN), a threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- riverinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the sterlet
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Where does the sterlet live?
Not recorded
What is the sterlet?
The sterlet (Huso ruthenus) is a relatively small species of sturgeon from Eurasia native to large rivers that flow into the Black Sea, Azov Sea, and Caspian Sea, as well as rivers in Siberia as far east as Yenisei. Populations migrating between fresh and salt water (anadromous) have been extirpated. It is also known as the sterlet sturgeon.
Due to overfishing (for its flesh, caviar, and isinglass), pollution, and dams, the sterlet has declined throughout its native range and is considered endangered by the IUCN. Restocking projects are ongoing, and it has been introduced to some regions outside its native range, but the latter have generally not become self-sustaining. Today, the majority of the international trade involves sterlets from aquaculture.
From the Wikipedia article “Sterlet” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sterlet&oldid=1378850286), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the sterlet endangered?
The sterlet is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.
How is the sterlet classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classChondrostei
- orderAcipenseriformes
- familyAcipenseridae
- genusAcipenser
- SpeciesAcipenser ruthenus Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms Acipenser dubius, Acipenser dubius, Acipenser gmelini, Acipenser jeniscensis, Acipenser jenisensis, Acipenser kamensis, Acipenser kankreni, Acipenser koster, Acipenser kostera, Acipenser lovetzkyi, Acipenser marsiglii, Acipenser pygmaeus, Acipenser ruthenicus, Acipenser ruthensis, Acipenser ruthenus, Acipenser ruthenus, Acipenser ruthenus alba, Acipenser ruthenus albinea, Acipenser ruthenus birostrata, Acipenser ruthenus brevirostris, Acipenser ruthenus erytraea, Acipenser ruthenus grisescens, Acipenser ruthenus leucotica, Acipenser ruthenus obtusirostris, Acipenser ruthenus rutzskyi, Acipenser ruthenus ruzskyi, Acipenser ruthenus septemcarinata, Acipenser ruthenus var. alba, Acipenser ruthenus var. albinea, Acipenser ruthenus var. birostrata, Acipenser ruthenus var. brevirostris, Acipenser ruthenus var. erytraea, Acipenser ruthenus var. grisescens, Acipenser ruthenus var. leucotica, Acipenser ruthenus var. obtusirostra, Acipenser ruthenus var. septemcarinata, Acipenser sterlet, Sterledus ruthenus, Sterledus ruthenus sibiricus, Sterledus ruthenus var. sibiricus
Other names and names in other languages (50)
- Sterlet sturgeonEnglish
- ÇökəAzerbaijani
- УҡбалыҡBashkir
- СцерлядзьBelarusian
- ЧигаBulgarian
- chigаBulgarian
- chigaBulgarian
- Шĕке пулăChuvash
- jeseter malýCzech
- sterletDanish
- SterlettGerman
- SterledoEsperanto
- esterleteSpanish
- esturión de SiberiaSpanish
- sterlettiFinnish
- sterletFrench
- esturgeon de SibérieFrench
- שטירלHebrew
- חדקן גמדיHebrew
- KecsegeHungarian
- SterletoIdo
- storione sterletoItalian
- sterlėLithuanian
- СӱгӧMari
- СтерлӓкWestern Mari
- sterlettNorwegian Bokmål
- sterletDutch
- sterlettNorwegian Nynorsk
- sterletPolish
- czeczugaPolish
- Acipenser ruthenusPortuguese
- cegăRomanian
- стерлядьRussian
- Осетр стерлядьRussian
- КечегеRusyn
- kečigaSlovenian
- Дугоноса кечигаSerbian
- sterlettSwedish
- ЧөгәTatar
- cukaTurkish
- ciga baligiTurkish
- ciga balığıTurkish
- çoka balığıTurkish
- çukaTurkish
- Çuka baligiTurkish
- СтерлядьUkrainian
- Осетер стерлядьUkrainian
- Стерлядь прісноводнаUkrainian
- Cá tầm nhỏVietnamese
- 小体鲟Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the sterlet
Other species in the same genus Acipenser.
European sea sturgeon
Acipenser sturio
Russian sturgeon
Acipenser gueldenstaedtii
Starry sturgeon
Acipenser stellatus
Siberian sturgeon
Acipenser baerii
Ship
Acipenser nudiventris
Adriatic sturgeon
Acipenser naccarii
CompareSterlet vs European sea sturgeonSterlet vs Russian sturgeonSterlet vs Starry sturgeonSterlet vs Siberian sturgeon
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the sterlet?
The sterlet is a fish, specifically a bony fish. It belongs to the family Acipenseridae in the order Acipenseriformes.
What is the scientific name of the sterlet?
The scientific name of the sterlet is Acipenser ruthenus. It is placed in the genus Acipenser.
Is the sterlet endangered?
Yes. The sterlet is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment, which is a threatened category.
Who named the sterlet and when?
The sterlet was named by Linnaeus in 1758, written as Linnaeus, 1758.
What other names does the sterlet have?
The sterlet is also called the sterlet sturgeon in English.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/sterlet
“Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/sterlet.
@misc{sterlet_2026,
title = {Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/sterlet},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}