Dear all,

For some time I am wondering about a possible geographice difference in
populations of the European perch (redfin perch for American readers I
suppose), Perca fluviatilis. To my knowledge no currently valid subspecies
have been described of this species.

In Holland most individuals seem to have 7 stripes (6 if a dark area on the
on the head is not counted as a stripe). Some individuals have 8 stripes,
and some have 7 on one side and 8 on the other. I have seen some Polish
perches and these looked the same as the Dutch ones (to me).

Recently I have seen quite some perches in Slovenia. Perch is known to be
native to Slovenia but recently introduced to my study site. These Slovenian
perches have more stripes than the Dutch ones, with a more variable pattern
including partial-stripes. They have about 10-11 stripes and partial stripes
on each side.

I am wondering if anyone else noted diffrences in the number of stripes in
Perca fluviatilis, and if those can be related to geographical origin or are
more different between populations (founder effect???).

Any suggestions of literature and of experts to contact on this subject are
welcome!

Best regards,

        Paul Veenvliet
        Herpetologist & Illustrator
        Holland / Slovenia
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