northern pike
Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The northern pike (Esox lucius), also known as jack, northern or simply pike, is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox (pikes). It is commonly found in fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (i.e. it has a holarctic distribution).
Pike can grow to a relatively large size. Their average length is about 40–55 cm (16–22 in), with maximum recorded lengths of up to 150 cm (59 in) and maximum weights of 28.4 kg (63 lb). The IGFA currently recognises a 25 kg (55 lb) pike caught by Lothar Louis on Greffern Lake, Germany, on 16 October 1986, as the all-tackle world-record holding northern pike. Northern pike grow to larger sizes in Eurasia than in North America, and in coastal Eurasian regions than inland ones.
Wikipedia contributors, Northern pike; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:33:27.930471+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Common name
- northern pike
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Esociformes
- Family
- Esocidae
- Genus
- Esox
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderEsociformes
- familyEsocidae Rafinesque, 1815
- subfamilyEsocinae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusEsox Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesEsox lucius Linnaeus, 1758
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Esox. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| chain pickerelEsox niger Lesueur, 1818 | EsocidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Esox reichertii Dybowski, 1869 | EsocidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Aquitanian pikeEsox aquitanicus Denys, Dettai, Persat, Hautecoeur & Keith, 2014 | EsocidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Esox cisalpinus Bianco & Delmastro, 2011 | EsocidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| muskellungeEsox masquinongy Mitchill, 1824 | EsocidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Esox boreus Agassiz, 1850 Agassiz, 1850 | synonym |
| Esox estor Lesueur, 1818 Lesueur, 1818 | synonym |
| Esox lucioides Agassiz & Girard, 1850 Agassiz & Girard, 1850 | synonym |
| Trematina foveolata Trautschold, 1884 Trautschold, 1884 | synonym |
| Esox lucius variegatus Fitzinger, 1832 Fitzinger, 1832 | synonym |
| Esox reichertii baicalensis Dybowski, 1874 Dybowski, 1874 | synonym |
| Esox lucius lucius | synonym |
| Esox (Esox) lucius Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Luccius vorax Rafinesque, 1810 Rafinesque, 1810 | synonym |
| Lucius lucius (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Esox lucius atrox Anikin, 1902 Anikin, 1902 | synonym |
| Esox lucius bergi Kaganowsky, 1933 Kaganowsky, 1933 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.542 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3BHYH. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.