Southern pike (Esox cisalpinus)

General data
- Main name: Southern pike
- Climates: Subtropical
- Habitat: Freshwater
- Native: Europe
- Introduced: Africa
- Distribution: Po River, Tiber, Adige, Reno
Classification
- Genus: Esox - Pikes
- Family: Esocidae - Pikes
- Order: Esociformes - Pikes
- Class: Teleostei - Ray-finned fishes
- Superclass: Osteichthyes - Bony fishes
Description
Esox cisalpinus, the southern pike, is a species of freshwater fish known from central and northern Italy, southeastern France and Switzerland, and it might also occur in the western Balkans. It has traditionally been considered a southern European variant of the widespread northern pike (Esox lucius), but was described as a separate species in 2011. Like the northern pike, southern pike are an important species for recreational fisheries and for its role as a top predator in freshwater ecosystems.