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| NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |
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Common Name: ruffe
Synonyms and Other Names: Eurasian ruffe, blacktail, pope, redfin darter, river ruffe
Taxonomy: available through 
Identification:
The ruffe is a small fish, reaching 4 to 6 inches in length, is olive-brown to golden-brown on its back with yellowish white undersides. Its fused dorsal fins are characterized by 12-19 dorsal spines followed by 11-16 soft dorsal rays. The caudal fin has 16 to 17 rays. Distinguishing characteristics were provided by Wheeler (1969, 1978), Maitland (1977), Page and Burr (1991), McLean (1993), and Stepien et al. (1998). Detailed traits and an identification key to members of the genus were given by Holcik and Hensel (1974). Name given by some authors is Acerina cernua (e.g., Berg 1949), also Gymnocephalus cernua (e.g., Holcik and Hensel 1974).
Size: 25 cm.
Native Range:
The ruffe was first collected in 1986 from the St. Louis River at the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin (Pratt et al. 1992; Czypinski et al. 1999, 2001, 2003). It subsequently spread into Duluth Harbor in Lake Superior and several tributaries of the lake (Underhill 1989; Czypinski et al. 1999, 2004; Scheidegger, pers. comm.; J. Slade, pers. comm.). It is found in the Amnicon, Flag, Iron, Middle, Raspberry, and Bad Rivers, Chequamegon Bay, and Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin (Czypinski et al. 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004; Tilmant 1999). In August 1994, it was found in Saxon Harbor, Wisconsin, and in the upper peninsula of Michigan at the mouths of the Black and Ontonagon rivers (K. Kindt, pers. comm.). In the lower Peninsula of Michigan along Lake Huron, the first three specimens were caught at the mouth of the Thunder Bay River in August 1995 (K. Kindt, pers. comm.). This species has also been collected in Michigan in Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Torch Lake, Little Bay de Noc in Escanaba, Big Bay de Noc, Misery River, Ontonagon River, Thunder Bay, and Sturgeon River Sloughs (Czypinski et al. 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004; A. Bowen, pers. comm.; Pearce, pers. comm.; Zorn, pers. comm.). The ruffe has been collected in Lake Superior at Thunder Bay Harbour, Ontario, Canada (Czypinski et al. 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007).
Ecology: The diet of ruffe changes throughout the course of development, becoming more benthic in nature with increasing size (Ogle et al. 2004. Copepoda, Daphnia spp., and Bosmina longirostrus dominated the overall diet of larval ruffe in the St. Louis Harbor (Ogle et al. 2004). Chironomids and the bottom-dwelling larvae of other insects, mainly mayflies and stoneflies, were frequently consumed in fresh water and, with increasing body size, became increasingly important in the diet of ruffe (Holker et al. 1998). In laboratory experiments, Fullerton et al. (1998) found that ruffe preferred soft-bodied macroinvertebrates. Histological examination of ruffe from the Duluth-Superior Harbor population revealed that the spawning period extended from late April through mid-June in 1994 (Leino et al. 1997).
Means of Introduction: The ruffe was probably introduced via ship ballast water discharged from a vessel arriving from a Eurasian port, possibly as early as 1982-1983 (Simon and Vondruska 1991; Ruffe Task Force 1992). Within the Great Lakes, the species spread may have been augmented by intra-lake shipping transport (Pratt et al. 1992; Stepien et al. 1998). Recent genetic research has indicated that the origin of ruffe introduced to the Great Lakes was southern Europe, not the Baltic Sea as previously believed (Stepien et al. 1998).
Status: Established in western portion of Lake Superior since about 1988 and expanding in an easterly direction. Reported from Lake Huron at Thunder Bay River, and in Thunder Bay, Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada. It has become the dominant species in the St. Louis River estuary McLean 1993). Considered the most abundant of the 60 species found in Duluth Harbor (Ruffe Task Force 1992). Based on bottom trawl samples, ruffe make up an estimated 80% of fish abundances in the southwestern regions of Lake Superior(Leigh 1998). Population in Duluth Harbor was estimated at two million adult fish in 1991 (Ruffe Task Force 1992). In 2006 surveys of Lake Huron, no ruffe were collected from Thunder Bay River and St. Marys River (Czypinski et al. 2007).
Impact of Introduction: The ruffe has affected fish populations in other areas where introduced. In Scotland, native perch populations declined, and in Russia whitefish numbers have declined because of egg predation by ruffe (McLean 1993). Ruffe exhibit rapid growth and high reproductive output, and adapt to a wide range of habitat types (McLean 1993); therefore the species may pose a threat to native North American fish. Yellow perch Perca flavescens, emerald shiners Notropis atherinoides, and trout-perch Percopsis omiscomaycus have all declined since the introduction of this fish, although the association is not clear (McLean 1993). There is much concern that ruffe may have a detrimental effect on more desirable species in Lake Superior, such as yellow perch and walleye, by feeding on the young of these species (Raloff 1992), or by competing for food (McLean 1993). Savino and Kolar (1996) conducted a laboratory study to test for competition for food between ruffe and yellow perch. They found that competition could occur between the two species but that the outcome would not always be clear. Each species exhibited competitive advantages and disadvantages. Ogle et al. (1995) studied the diet of introduced ruffe inhabiting the St. Louis estuary. Their findings indicated that the species prey heavily on benthic insects thereby suggesting that ruffe compete for food with yellow perch, trout-perch, and other native benthic-feeding fishes. Fullerton et al. (1998) also observed that similarities in dietary preferences and in feeding rates of ruffe and yellow perch suggest a strong possibility for interspecific competition. Ruffe hold an advantage over native perch in their ability to better select moving objects under relatively dim light conditions or at high turbidity. Kolar et al. (2002) found that in a laboratory setting, ruffe exhibited higher consumption rates of benthic invertebrates than yellow perch in darkness over bare cobble and complex substrates. Ruffe have a very sensitive lateral line system and night adapted vision, and are more adapted to foraging under poor light conditions that yellow perch (Holker et al. 1998). In a study of ruffe predation by native pike, bass, bullhead, walleye, and perch, Mayo (1998) found that though ruffe comprised 71-88% of prey species biomass, all five of the selected predators ate ruffe at lower proportions, preferentially selecting native fish species.
Remarks:
The ruffe also has been collected in the Canadian waters of Lake Superior at Thunder Bay and in Kaministiquia River estuary, 290 kilometers northeast of Duluth. Seven fish were collected from the latter location in 1991 (Ruffe Task Force 1992). Busiahn (1993) indicated that the potential North American range of ruffe may well extend from the Great Plains to the eastern seaboard and north into Canada. However, early reports that the ruffe was established in Lake Michigan (e.g., Page and Burr 1991) are considered erroneous. In March 1997, an international symposium was held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to exchange information on the biology and management of ruffe (Jensen 1997). Ogle et al. (1996) found that certain native species preyed on introduced ruffe; however, their study indicated that predation is unlikely to effectively prevent ruffe from colonizing new areas in the Great Lakes.
Brazner et al. (1998) found that densely vegetated shoreline wetland habitats provide a refuge from intense competition with ruffe for indigenous fish.
Czypinski, G. D., A. K. Bowen, M. A. Goehle, and B. Brownson. 2007. Surveillance for ruffe in the Great Lakes, 2006. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 19 pp. http://www.fws.gov/midwest/ashland/ruffe/surv/2006/pdf/RuffeSurveillance2006.pdf Accessed 7/2/2007.
Czypinski, G. D., A. K. Bowen, M. A. Goehle, S. Cogswell, and B. MacKay. 2004. Surveillance for ruffe in the Great Lakes, 2003. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 41 pp.
Czypinski, G. D., A. K. Bowen, M. P. Sowinski, and B. MacKay. 2003. Surveillance for ruffe in the Great Lakes, 2002. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 35 pp.
Czypinski, G. D., A. K. Hintz, S. M. Keppner, and E. Paleczny. 1999. Surveillance for ruffe in the Great Lakes, 1998. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ashland, WI.
Czypinski, G. D., A. K. Hintz, M. T. Weimer, and A. Dextrase. 1999. Surveillance for ruffe in the Great Lakes, 1999. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ashland, WI. 29 pp.
Czypinski, G. D., A. K. Hintz, M. T. Weimer, and A. Dextrase. 2001. Surveillance for ruffe in the Great Lakes, 2000. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ashland, WI. 32 pp.
Fullerton, A.H., G.A. Lamberti, D.M. Lodge, and M.B. Berg. 1998. Prey Preferences of Eurasian Ruffe and Yellow Perch: Comparison of Laboratory Results with Composition of Great Lakes Benthos. Journal of Great Lakes Research. 24(2):319-328.
Holker F. and R. Thiel. 1998. Biology of ruffe (Gemnocephalus cernuus (L.))- A review of selected aspects from European literature. Journal of Great Lakes Research. 24(2):186-204.
Kolar, C. S., A. H. Fullerton, K. M. Martin, and G. A. Lamberti. 2002. Interactions among zebra mussel shells, invertebrate prey, and Eurasian ruffe or yellow perch. Journal of Great Lakes Research. 28(4):664-673.
Leigh, P. 1998. Benefits and costs of the ruffe control program for the Great Lakes fishery. Journal of Great Lakes Research. 24(2):351-360.
Leino, R. L. and J. H. McCormick. 1997. Reproductive characteristics of the ruffe, Gymnocephalus cernuus, in the St. Louis River estuary on western Lake Superior: a histological examination of the ovaries over one annual cycle. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 54:256-263.
Ogle, D. H., B. A. Ray, and W. P. Brown. 2004. Diet of larval ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus) in the St. Louis River harbor, Lake Superior. Journal of Great Lakes Research. 30(2):287-292.
Tilmant, J.T. 1999. Management of nonindigenous aquatic fish in the U.S. National Park System. National Park Service. 50 pp.
Other Resources:
Gymnocephalus spp. [ruffe] (ANS Clearinghouse Bibliography)
Gymnocephalus cernuus (Global Invasive Species Database)
NOAA Sea Grant Nonindigenous Species Site (SGNIS)
Author: Fuller, Pam and Greg Jacobs
Contributing Agencies: 
NOAA - GLERL
Revision Date: 7/2/2007 Citation for this information:
Fuller, Pam and Greg Jacobs. 2009. Gymnocephalus cernuus. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?SpeciesID=7> Revision Date: 7/2/2007
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