The Volga Zander (Sander volgensis) belongs to the same genus as the Zander (Sander lucioperca). It inhabits rivers of the basins of the Caspian Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, mainly living in the lower and the middle course. The volga zander occurs in Tsimlyansk, Volgograd and Kuybyshev reservoirs. It prefers clean water with moderate currents and a pebble or sandy bottom. Young fish (up to 4 cm) feed on benthos. On the second year of its life cycle, the juvenile volga zander turns predatory. Having reached a length of more than 15 cm, it feeds solely on fish. Visually volga zander is different from common zander: its snout is much shorter and wider, its teeth are sharp like those of perch (with no protrusive fangs), cheeks, unlike those of zander, are covered with scaling. Its coloration is almost the same as that of zander, its back and flanks are greenish gray too, yet the transverse stripes on its body are more pronounced and more regular of shape. Due to the absence of fangs and the relatively narrow throat, it can’t grab a prey bigger than 3 to 5 cm. Volga zander loses to common zander in its size as its weight doesn't exceed 2 kg. Its maximum length is about 45 cm. An average volga zander weights from 0.8 to 1.2 kg.