Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus)
Appearance: coppery golden in colour with bright blood-red fins and an upturned mouth for surface feeding.
British record: 4lb 10oz (British record committee 2015)
Lateral line scale count: 40-55 (this is the dark row of scales along the central length of the fish's body)
Lifespan: 8 to 14 years
Easy to confuse at first glance with its close relative the Roach.
Yes, it can be easy to confuse, at
first glance, Rudd with its close relative the Roach, the Rudd can be recognized by
its red fins (brighter on the underside), deep bronze-gold flanks and a
distinctive steeply angled, protruding lower lip.
(The Roach, less vividly
coloured, has silvery flanks, dull orange Fins and a receding lower Lip.)
The Rudd is common in still-waters throughout southern England and in Ireland, but is rare in northern England. It is hardly ever found in Scotland or Wales, however.
Another identifying feature in the Rudd is that the beginning of its Dorsal Fin is set well behind the front of the Pelvic Fins - in Roach the Dorsal Fin is directly above the base of the Pelvic Fins. The Rudd also has a sharp ridge, or 'keel', between the Pelvic Fin and the Anal Fin.
Rudd and Roach 'hybridize' freely and there is great confusion about its identity when a 'hybrid' is caught. One way of checking a hybrid is to look at the lips - the Roach/Rudd hybrid often has equal lips, neither 'protruding' nor 'receding'.
Positive identification is only important when the catch may qualify for a new record. In this case the fish may have to be killed so that experts can examine its pharyngeal (throat) teeth.
Rudd have two rows of throat teeth, while roach have only one row.
Hybrids, intermediate between the two, have only a partial second row. The Rudd's body is deep and a large well-fed specimen can be very broad across the shoulders. The Rudd is mainly a fish of still waters, with few populations thriving in rivers. Rudd prefer reed or tree-lined waters where it can feed on fallen Insects using its well-adapted mouth. The Norfolk Broads, England are ideal Rudd habitat, but gravel pits, ponds, canals and lakes also have good populations.
Only nutrient-rich waters support large numbers of Rudd. For some reason they tend to overpopulate suitable waters, resulting in thousands of stunted fish.
