Body with five rows of bony scutes, four barbels anterior to the mouth arranged in one transverse row, snout short (less than 70 % of the head length): Family Acipenseridae
Snout conical with rounded edges, spiracle and pseudobranchiae well developed: Subfamily Acipenserinae
Mouth comparatively small and transverse, barbels round, gill membranes attached to the isthmus and do not form a free fold: Genus Acipenser
1.) First dorsal scute is not the largest and greatest body depth not at the first dorsal scute:
2.) Post-dorsal and post-anal plates present:
3.) Gill rakers not knobe-shaped, terminated by a single tip, lateral scutes are lighter than the body background:
4.) Less than 50 lateral scutes and less than 30 gill rakers:
5.) Plates at the left and right side of the anal-fin base, rhombic denticles arranged regularly in oblique criss-cross fashion between the dorsal and lateral scutes, usually more than 3 post-dorsal plates (some in pairs), mouth opening less than 60% of interorbital width:
A key to all species of the world you will find in the book:
The Sturgeons and Paddlefishes (Acipenseriformes) of the World
© by Martin Hochleithner