Gymnocephalus cernua (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 ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernua), also known as the Eurasian ruffe or pope, is a freshwater fish found in temperate regions of Europe and northern Asia. It has been introduced into the Great Lakes of North America as an invasive species and is causing unfortunate results as it is reproducing faster than other species. Its common names are ambiguous – "ruffe" may refer to any local member of its genus Gymnocephalus, which as a whole is native to Eurasia.
Wikipedia contributors, Ruffe; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:40:36.947151+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Gymnocephalus cernua (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Perciformes
- Family
- Percidae
- Genus
- Gymnocephalus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
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
- orderPerciformes
- suborderPercoidei
- familyPercidae Rafinesque, 1815
- subfamilyPercinae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusGymnocephalus Bloch, 1793
- speciesGymnocephalus cernua (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Gymnocephalus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Gymnocephalus ambriaelacus Geiger & Schliewen, 2010 | PercidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnocephalus baloni Holcík & Hensel, 1974 | PercidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gymnocephalus acerina (Gmelin, 1789) | PercidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| striped ruffeGymnocephalus schraetser (Linnaeus, 1758) | PercidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Gymnocephalus cernuus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Gymnocephalus cernus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Holocentrus post Lacepède, 1802 Lacepède, 1802 | synonym |
| Acerina cernua essipovi Burmakin, 1941 Burmakin, 1941 | synonym |
| Acerina cernus essipovi Burmakin, 1941 Burmakin, 1941 | synonym |
| Acerinus cernus essipovi Burmakin, 1941 Burmakin, 1941 | synonym |
| Perca cernua Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Acerina vulgaris Cuvier, 1829 Cuvier, 1829 | synonym |
| Acerinus cernus | synonym |
| Cernua fluviatilis Fleming, 1828 Fleming, 1828 | synonym |
| Acerina cernua danubica Vladykov, 1931 Vladykov, 1931 | synonym |
| Acerina cernua (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Acerina czekanowskii Dybowski, 1874 Dybowski, 1874 | synonym |
| Acerina czekanowskü Dybowski, 1874 Dybowski, 1874 | synonym |
| Acerina fischeri Eichwald, 1873 Eichwald, 1873 | synonym |
| Acerina cernus | 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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=405451 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:3HQWP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.