Pygmy whitefish | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Salmoniformes |
Family: | Salmonidae |
Genus: | Prosopium |
Species: | P. coulterii |
Binomial name | |
Prosopium coulterii (C. H. Eigenmann & R. S. Eigenmann, 1892) | |
The pygmy whitefish (Prosopium coulterii) is a freshwater whitefish of the genus Prosopium in the family Salmonidae. Found in the mountain streams and lakes in western North America, it also has isolated populations in Lake Superior and in Ekityki Lake, Chukchi Peninsula.
The pygmy whitefish is a small herring-like fish with a long and cylindrical body by comparison to other whitefishes. [1] Silvery in colour, it has a brownish back, and a whitish belly. [1] Black spots on the side called "parr marks", which are present on young trout or "parrs", are present on the young of this species, and on adults in some Alaskan populations. [2] Commonly ranging from 3 to 15.3 centimetres (1.2 to 6.0 in) in length, [1] it is typically 12 centimetres (4.7 in) long, [3] and reaches a maximum length of 28 centimetres (11 in). [2] It is identified by its small size, and its large eye, which has a greater length than its blunt snout. [4] Its dorsal fin and pectoral fin are usually clear, and its tail is clear with a faint dark spot. Its anal fin and pelvic fin are plain whitish. [2] It has large scales with only 56–70 on its lateral line, fewer gill rakers, all characteristics that indicate a degree of differentiation from the other Prosopium fishes. [1] Because of this, it is considered an early offshoot (basal) species in its genus, [1] and it is the most trout-like member of a genus considered the most trout-like and primitive whitefish group. [5]
The pygmy whitefish was first described by Carl H. Eigenmann and Rosa Smith Eigenmann in 1892, as Coregonus coulteri. they named the species after the prominent botanist John Merle Coulter. [6] Since its initial description as a Coregonus , it has been placed in the genus Prosopium of more primitive whitefishes. [1] The members of this genus are distinguished from the other whitefishes by several characteristics, such as a single flap of skin over the nostril, rather than one; "parr marks" as on trout and char; a round body; and a small toothless mouth. [5] The genus name Prosopium, meaning "mask" in Greek, refers to the large bones in front of its eyes. [6]
The pygmy whitefish is found mostly in the northern Rocky Mountains, with three other disjunct populations. One is in Lake Superior, another is in southwestern Alaska, and the third is in the Ekityki Lake, Chukchi Peninsula, Russia. The pygmy whitefish's range probably was continuous until the late Pleistocene. [7] In the Rocky Mountains it is found in cold and rapid streams, and in cool lakes at depths of over 6 metres (20 ft). [4] In Lake Superior it is found in cooler water, [1] at depths of 18 to 89 metres (59 to 292 ft). [4]
In Lake Superior, the pygmy whitefish spawns during November and December at depths of 31 to 46 metres (102 to 151 ft). Females lay an average of 362 orange eggs, with a diameter of 2.57 millimetres (0.101 in). [1] Elsewhere, the pygmy whitefish migrates upstream to spawn, usually spawning in November or December in gravelly streams. [1] [8] Pygmy whitefish feed primarily on the aquatic larvae of insects, and crustaceans. [2] In Lake Superior, the amphipod Pontoporeia and various other crustaceans, mostly ostracods, form 77 percent of the pygmy whitefish's diet. [1] The burbot, kingfishers, and terns, and pikes have been recorded preying on the pygmy whitefish. [1] [2]
Coregonus lavaretus is a species of freshwater whitefish, in the family Salmonidae. It is the type species of its genus Coregonus.
The shortnose cisco is a North American freshwater whitefish in the salmon family Salmonidae. One of the members of the broader Coregonus artedi species complex of ciscoes, it is native to the Great Lakes of Canada and the United States. Its population has been declining and it has disappeared from some of its earlier haunts. The last reported population was restricted to Georgian Bay off Lake Huron in Canada. It is thought that declines in the population of this fish may be linked with the arrival of the sea lamprey, in the Great Lakes. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated the conservation status of this fish as "critically endangered", and possibly extinct.
Whitefish or white fish may refer to:
The pollan or Irish pollan is a freshwater whitefish known only from five Irish lakes, Lough Neagh, Lower Lough Erne, Lough Ree, Lough Derg and Lough Allen. The pollan faces competition from introduced species such as pike, roach and zebra mussel, and the populations rely on restocking for survival.
Arctic cisco, also known as omul Russian: Омуль, is an anadromous species of freshwater whitefish that inhabits the Arctic parts of Siberia, Alaska and Canada. It has a close freshwater relative in several lakes of Ireland, known as the pollan, alternatively regarded as conspecific with it, or as a distinct species.
The broad whitefish is a freshwater whitefish species. Dark silvery in colour, and like a herring in its shape. Its distinctive features includes: a convex head, short gill rakers, and a mild overbite. It is found in the Arctic-draining streams, lakes, and rivers of far eastern Russia and North America. Its prey includes larval insects, snails, and shellfish. It is eaten by humans and brown bears.
The round whitefish is a freshwater species of fish that is found in lakes from Alaska to New England, including the Great Lakes. It has an olive-brown back with light silvery sides and underside and its length is generally between 9 and 19 inches. They are bottom feeders, feeding mostly on invertebrates, such as crustaceans, insect larvae, and fish eggs. Some other fish species, like white sucker in turn eat their eggs. Lake trout, northern pike and burbot are natural predators. Other common names of the round whitefish are Menominee, pilot fish, frost fish, round-fish, and Menominee whitefish. The common name "round whitefish" is also sometimes used to describe Coregonus huntsmani, a salmonid more commonly known as the Atlantic whitefish.
Prosopium is a genus of freshwater whitefishes found in North America and parts of eastern Russia. It contains three fairly widespread species: the round whitefish, the pygmy whitefish, and the mountain whitefish. The remaining species, the Bonneville cisco, the Bonneville whitefish, and the Bear Lake whitefish are endemic to Bear Lake.
The mountain whitefish is one of the most widely distributed salmonid fish of western North America. It is found from the Mackenzie River drainage in Northwest Territories, Canada through western Canada and the northwestern USA in the Pacific, Hudson Bay and upper Missouri River basins to the Truckee River drainage in Nevada and Sevier River drainage in Utah.
Coregonus hoyi, also known as the bloater, is a species or form of freshwater whitefish in the family Salmonidae. It is a silvery-coloured herring-like fish, 25.5 centimetres (10.0 in) long. It is found in most of the Great Lakes and in Lake Nipigon, and inhabits underwater slopes. This fish is not to be confused with the extinct deepwater cisco, a large fish that shared a common name with the bloater.
The shortjaw cisco is a North-American freshwater whitefish in the salmon family. Adult fish range to about 30 cm (12 in) in length and are silver, tinged with green above and paler below. One of the members of the broader Coregonus artedi complex of ciscoes, it is distributed widely in the deeper lakes of Canada, but populations in the Great Lakes have been declining and it is no longer present in Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie. It feeds mainly on crustaceans and insect larvae and spawns in the autumn on the lake bed. It is part of the important cisco (chub) fishery in the Great Lakes. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "vulnerable". Shortjaw cisco have however evolved from the cisco Coregonus artedi independently in different lakes and different parts of the range, and conservation assessments therefore should be made on a lake-wise rather than range-wide basis.
The freshwater whitefish are fishes of the subfamily Coregoninae, which contains whitefishes and ciscoes, and is one of three subfamilies in the salmon family Salmonidae. Apart from the subfamily Coregoninae, the family Salmonidae includes the salmon, trout, and char species of the subfamily Salmoninae, and grayling species of the subfamily Thymallinae. Freshwater whitefish are distributed mainly in relatively cool waters throughout the northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
The Alaska whitefish is a species of whitefish in the family Salmonidae. It is found in parts of northwestern North America, where it occurs only in small and large rivers, and rarely in lakes. The maximum length recorded for this species is 56.0 cm (22.0 in).
The Bering cisco or Lauretta whitefish is a freshwater whitefish found in Alaska and part of Russia. It is often considered to be the same species as the more common Arctic cisco.
The lake whitefish is a species of freshwater whitefish from North America. Lake whitefish are found throughout much of Canada and parts of the northern United States, including all of the Great Lakes. The lake whitefish is sometimes referred to as a "humpback" fish due to the small size of the head in relation to the length of the body. It is a valuable commercial fish, and also occasionally taken by sport fishermen. Smoked, refrigerated, vacuum-packed lake whitefish fillets are available in North American grocery stores. Other vernacular names used for this fish include Otsego bass, Sault whitefish, gizzard fish, common whitefish, eastern whitefish, Great Lakes whitefish, humpback whitefish, inland whitefish and whitefish.