Prosopium

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Prosopium
Temporal range: Late Miocene to Recent [1]
Prosopium cylindraceum.jpg
Prosopium cylindraceum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Salmoniformes
Family: Salmonidae
Subfamily: Coregoninae
Genus: Prosopium
D. S. Jordan, 1878
Type species
Coregonus cylindraceus
Pennant, 1784

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.

Species

There are currently six recognized species in this genus: [2]

ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
Prosopium abyssicola (Snyder, 1919)Bear Lake whitefishBear Lake on the Utah-Idaho border
Prosopium coulterii (C. H. Eigenmann & R. S. Eigenmann, 1892)Pygmy whitefishmountain streams and lakes in western North America, it also has isolated populations in Lake Superior and in Ekityki Lake, Chukchi Peninsula.
Prosopium cylindraceum (Pennant, 1784)Round whitefishAlaska to New England, including the Great Lakes
Prosopium gemmifer (Snyder, 1919)Bonneville ciscoBear Lake on the Utah-Idaho border
Prosopium spilonotus (Snyder, 1919)Bonneville whitefishBear Lake on the Utah-Idaho border.
Prosopium williamsoni.jpg Prosopium williamsoni (Girard, 1856)Mountain whitefishMackenzie River drainage in Northwest Territories, Canada south 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

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<i>Coregonus</i> Genus of fishes

Coregonus is a diverse genus of fish in the salmon family (Salmonidae). The Coregonus species are known as whitefishes. The genus contains at least 68 described extant taxa, but the true number of species is a matter of debate. The type species of the genus is Coregonus lavaretus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bear Lake (Idaho–Utah)</span> Lake on the Utah-Idaho border in the United States

Bear Lake is a natural freshwater lake on the Idaho–Utah border in the Western United States. About 109 square miles (280 km2) in size, it is split about equally between the two states; its Utah portion comprises the second-largest natural freshwater lake in Utah, after Utah Lake. The lake has been called the "Caribbean of the Rockies" for its unique turquoise-blue color, which is due to the refraction of calcium carbonate (limestone) deposits suspended in the lake. Its water properties have led to the evolution of several unique species of fauna that occur only within the lake. Bear Lake is over 250,000 years old. It was formed by fault subsidence that continues today, slowly deepening the lake along the eastern side. In 1911 the majority of the flow of the Bear River was diverted into Bear Lake via Mud Lake and a canal from Stewart Dam, ending 11,000 years of separation between the lake and that river system.

Whitefish or white fish may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonneville cutthroat trout</span> Subspecies of fish

The Bonneville cutthroat trout is a subspecies of cutthroat trout native to tributaries of the Great Salt Lake and Sevier Lake. Most of the fish's current and historic range is in Utah, but they are also found in Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada. This is one of 14 or so recognized subspecies of cutthroat trout native to the western United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Round whitefish</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bear Lake whitefish</span> Species of fish

The Bear Lake whitefish, Prosopium abyssicola, is a salmonid fish endemic to Bear Lake on the Utah-Idaho border. It is one of three species of Prosopium endemic to Bear Lake, the other two being the Bonneville whitefish and the Bonneville cisco. The species is listed as a Wildlife Species of Concern by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Currently, Sheena Byrne, one of America's top Whitefish specialists, is specializing a research program to promote and protect the species, especially during their migratory season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonneville whitefish</span> Species of fish

The Bonneville whitefish is a salmonid fish endemic to Bear Lake on the Utah-Idaho border. It is one of three species of Prosopium endemic to Bear Lake, the other two being the Bear Lake whitefish and the Bonneville cisco. The species is listed as a Wildlife Species of Concern by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain whitefish</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonneville cisco</span> Species of fish

The Bonneville cisco is a species of cisco endemic to Bear Lake along the Utah-Idaho border, United States. It is one of three species of whitefish endemic to Bear Lake, the others being the Bear Lake whitefish and the Bonneville whitefish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freshwater whitefish</span> Subfamily of fishes

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishing in Wyoming</span>

A game fish is any species of fish pursued for sport by recreationalists (anglers). The capture of game fish is usually tightly regulated. In comparison, nongame fish are all fish not considered game fish. Game fish may be eaten after being caught, though increasingly anglers are practicing catch-and-release tactics to improve fish populations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pygmy whitefish</span> Species of fish

The pygmy whitefish 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitefish River (Montana)</span> River in Montana, United States

The Whitefish River is a 24.8-mile-long (39.9 km) southward-flowing stream originating at the outlet of Whitefish Lake. The river is a tributary of the Stillwater River just before it reaches the Flathead River in Flathead County, in the U.S. state of Montana. The Whitefish River is part of the Columbia River basin, as the Flathead River is a tributary of Clark Fork, which is a tributary to the Pend Oreille River, which is a tributary to the Columbia River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake whitefish</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitefish Lake (Montana)</span> Lake in the American state of Montana

Whitefish Lake ; is a natural oligotrophic freshwater lake in Flathead County, Montana, United States.

References

  1. Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 363: 1–560. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). Species of Prosopium in FishBase . February 2012 version.