Ammersee Ruffe

The Ammer ruffe is mostly silvery-grey with dark-black blotches on the flanks that have a greenish-bronze shine. The dorsal fin is transparent, with dark spots along the base and lateral line, and yellow tips to the spine and black tips to the membrane. The rays of the dorsal fin are yellowish with black markings. The pectoral fins are transparent yellowish-white, with black spots spread evenly all over. The pelvic and anal fins are whitish and slightly cloudy, not completely transparent. The pelvic fin has small black spots concentrated on the rays, while the anal fin has irregularly distributed spots on the rays, membranes, and spines, densest on the rays. The caudal fin is nearly transparent, with yellowish rays and small black spots forming transverse bands.

The Ammer ruffe is endemic to the freshwater Lake Ammer in the upper Danube basin of Bavaria, Germany. The lake was formed during the last glacial period and is naturally oligotrophic, although it is currently mesotrophic in the 21st century.

Females collected in May spawned immediately in captivity, laying small eggs around in a millimetre in width. The eggs were weakly adhesive and some even floated. Juveniles of the species grow slowly compared to others in the genus, reaching lengths of around 4.5 cm after one year and 8 cm after two years.