Fishes of Pennsylvania

1. Fishes of Pennsylvania Introduction to the Nekton

2. Fishes of Pennsylvania • Lampreys • Sturgeons • Paddlefish • Gars • Bowfin • American Eel • Herrings • Minnows • Suckers • Catfishes • Pikes • Rainbow Smelt • Trout and Salmon • Burbot • Banded Killifish • Threespine Stickleback • Sculpin • Temperate Basses • Sunfishes • Perches • Freshwater Drum

3. Major Streams of Pennsylvania

4. Lampreys • American Brook Lamprey Lampetra appendix • Larvae filter feed • Adult does not feed. The Sea Lamprey (in Great Lakes) and the Ohio Lamprey (western PA) are parasitic. The three native PA Brook Lampreys are not parasitic.

5. Sturgeons • The Lake Sturgeon –Acipenserfulvescens- is the only freshwater sturgeon in PA. It is found in Lake Erie. • The Shortnose Sturgeon and the Atlantic Sturgeon are marine and tidal fish that may occur in the lower Delaware River. • All PA sturgeons are endangered

6. Paddlefish • Paddlefish –Polydonspathula- only living species. • Extirpated from former ranges in western PA and Lake Erie. • PA Fish and Boat Commission reintroduced them to the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers.

7. Gar • Two gar species occur in PA: The Spotted Gar and the Longnose Gar. • The Longnose Gar –Lepidosteusosseus- is in low numbers through the lower Great Lakes, western PA and extreme lower Susquehanna River.

8. Bowfin • Bowfin – Amiacalvia • Found mainly around Presque Isle and in the lower parts of the major drainages. • Can tolerate very warm water and gulp air.

9. American Eel • The American Eel –Anguilaamericana –occurs in the Delaware River drainage. • Now attempts are being made to return the eel to the Susquehanna River

10. Herrings • This family includes Blueback Herring, Alewife, Gizzard Shad, Hickory Shad, and American Shad. • The American Shad –Alosasapidissima- anadromous fish that enter mainstem of large rivers to spawn. • Attempts to support shad run in the Susquehanna River • In rivers, shad eat small crustaceans, zooplankton, worms, insects, and small fish

11. Minnows • PA has 39 species of minnows, including exotics like Carp and Goldfish. • The minnows of Pennsylvania include: • Bluntnose Minnow • Cutlips Minnow • Central Stoneroller • Emerald Shiner • Hornyhead Chub • Grass Carp • Common Carp • Common Shiner • River Chub • Golden Shiner • Fathead Minnow • Spotfin Shiner • Rosyface Shiner • Blacknose Dace • Longnose Dace • Creek Chub • Fallfish

12. Cutlips Minnow • Cutlips Minnow (Exoglossummaxillingua) • Lower lip in three lobes, the center of which looks like a tongue • Stony pools of clean streams • Mainly feed on small mollusks, insects, and diatoms

13. Common Carp • The Common Carp (Cyprinuscarpio) • Native to Asia and eastern Europe; considered invasive in some watersheds • Found in many habitats, but prefer slow-moving water with a well-developed littoral zone

14. Common Shiner • Common Shiner (Notropiscornutus) • Moving water, warm to cold • Very common in North America, east of the Rocky Mountains and North of the Gulf states • Omnivore: plants and insects mainly at or near the surface

15. Spotfin Shiner • Spotfin Shiner (Cyprinellaspiloptera) • Common in streams throughout the east • Omnivore: plants, insects, small fish near the surface

16. Longnose Dace • Longnose Dace (Rhinichthyescataractae) • In streams with riffles and pools • Mainly staying near the bottom where they feed on insect larvae, particularly chironomids

17. Suckers • Quillback Carpsucker • White Sucker • Northern Hog Sucker • The Redhorses • River Redhorse • ShortheadRedhorse

18. Quillback Carpsucker • The Quillback Carpsucker (Carpoidescyprinus) • Body is deep and laterally compressed • They travel in schools in slow-moving rivers and backwaters with gravel bottoms. • Eat a wide variety of benthic macroinvertebrates

19. White Sucker • The White Sucker (Catostomuscommersoni) • Cylindrical body with a rounded snout • Range from headwaters to warm, low oxygen water. • They are omnivores, feeding on plants, zooplankton, benthos

20. Northern Hog Sucker • The Northern Hogsucker (Hypenteliumnigricans) • The body is cylindrical and darkly camouflaged • Found in clean streams • Overturn rock while scraping biofilm, and aquatic macroinvertebrates

21. Catfishes • White Catfish • Yellow Bullhead • Brown Bullhead • Channel Catfish • Margined Madtom • Stonecat • Flathead Catfish

22. Brown Bullhead • Brown Bullhead (Ameiurusnebulosus) • Cylindrical body with flattened head • Found in lakes, ponds and slow-moving rivers • Tolerate warm water and low oxygen • Omnivorous

23. Channel Catfish • Channel Catfish (Ictaluruspunctatus) • Body cylindrical with spots on the sides • Habitats vary; fast-moving water to deep pools, reservoirs, lakes, and farm ponds • Young eat insects but change to fish and plants as they get larger

24. Margined Madtom • Margined Madtom (Noturusinsignis) • Small, tubular fish; have poison glands associated with pectoral spines • Found in rocks in riffles • Feed on benthic macroinvertebrates

25. Pikes • Redfin Pickerel • Grass Pickerel • Northern Pike • Tiger Muskellunge • Muskellunge • Chain Pickerel

26. Muskellunge • The Muskellunge (Esoxmasquinongy) • Tubular fish, nearly 1.5M long • Found in large clean rivers with submerged vegetation • Ambush predator

27. Chain Pickerel • The Chain Pickerel (Esoxniger) • Tubular body • Can be found in backwaters and in brown-water habitats; but can be found in deep lakes among weeds and stumps • Ambush predators

28. Rainbow Smelt • The Rainbow Smelt (Osmerusmordax) • Like a minnow with strong teeth • Anadromous fish introduced to the Great Lakes • Feed on insects and fish fry

29. Trout and Salmon • Coho Salmon • Chinook Salmon • Pink Salmon • Rainbow Trout • Steelhead • Golden Rainbow Trout • Brown Trout • Brook trout • Lake trout • Atlantic Salmon

30. Brook Trout • The Brook Trout (Salvelinusfontinalis) • Official State Fish of PA • Only stream trout native to PA • Low order cold, clean streams • Feed on aquatic and terrestrial insects, crustaceans, small fish

31. Rainbow Trout • Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchusmykiss) • Introduced species • Lighter than the Brook and has a red lateral line • In fastwater streams • Feed on aquatic and terrestrial insects, crustaceans, and small fish

32. Burbot • Burbot (Lotalota) • Endangered native and member of the Cod family • Found in the Great Lakes and Allegheny River; requires cold, clean water • Feed on invertebrates and fishes

33. Banded Killifish • The Banded Killifish (Fundulusdiaphanus) • Established in most drainages in PA • Called topminnnow, but feed at all levels of slow-moving parts of streams • Eat macroinvertebrates, mainly insects and crustacea. Will take small fish.

34. Threespine Stickleback • The Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteousaculeatus) • Endangered native • Fish are small, schooling fish with bony plates on their sides • Require clean, clear water in slow-moving parts of streams • Eat fish fry and eggs; insects and crustaceans

35. Sculpins • There are two species of sculpins in PA waters: Mottled Sculpin (Cottusbairdi) and Slimy Sculpin (C. cognatus) • Freshwater members of a mostly marine family • Often found together with Brook Trout; require clean, clear, cold low order streams

36. Temperate Basses • This family includes White Perch (Moroneamericana), White Bass (M. chrysops), and Striped Bass (M. saxatilis) • Fish of large rivers and lakes; introduced into reservoirs • Travel in schools and feed on fish

37. Sunfishes • Redear Sunfish • Banded Sunfish • Blackbanded Sunfish • Bluespotted Sunfish • Warmouth • Mud Sunfish • Longear Sunfish • Rock Bass • Redbreast Sunfish • Green Sunfish • Pumpkinseed • Bluegill • Smallmouth Bass • Spotted Bass • Largemouth Bass • White Crappie • Black Crappie

38. Bluegill • Bluegill (Lepomismacrochirus) • Oval deep body that is laterally-flattened • In lakes, ponds, and slow-moving parts of streams with submerged plants • Eat aquatic macroinvertebrates, small fish, and, occasionally, plants

39. Smallmouth Bass • The Smallmouth Bass (Micropterusdolomieui) • Native to Great Lakes and Ohio Valley; distributed elsewhere • Require rocky habitats, usually in, but not restricted to, moving water • Feed on crustaceans and fish

40. Largemouth Bass • Largemouth Bass (Micropterussalmoides) • Native to Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, now distributed throughout PA • Prefer warm water habitats; ponds and small lakes with submerged aquatics • They eat almost any animal that they can fit into their mouths

41. Perches • Greenside Darter • Banded Darter • Rainbow Darter • Bluebreast Darter • Johnny Darter • Tesselated Darter • Gilt Darter • Spotted Darter • Longhead Darter • Eastern Sand Darter • Tippecanoe Darter • Yellow Perch • Logperch • Sauger • Saugeye • Walleye

42. Tesselated Darter • The Tesselated Darter (Etheostomaolmstedi) • Tubular body with large pectoral fins • Sandy or rock bottom in flowing water • Eat small insects and crustaceans

43. Yellow Perch • Yellow Perch (Percaflavescens) • Throughout the northern US • In warm to cool lakes, ponds, and slow-moving parts of streams • Adults eat mainly small fish

44. Walleye • Walleye (Sander vitreus) • Native to the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley, they have been introduced as a sport fish to appropriate habitats in PA • In large lakes and rivers • Usually the top predator

45. Freshwater Drum • The Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotusgrunniens) • Called croakers; mainly from a marine family • In the Great Lakes and the western rivers of PA • Feeds on mollusks, insects, and crustaceans

47. Fishes Classified According to Habitat • Littoral Zone • Limnetic Zone • Benthic Zone • Streams • Upper Reaches • Middle Reaches • Lower reaches

49. Fishes Classified According to Ecological Conditions • Temperature • Light • Water Movement • Food • Social Factors • Population Density • Population Structure