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Pennsylvania Fishes IDENTIFICATION GUIDE

Pennsylvania Fishes IDENTIFICATION GUIDE

IDENTIFICATION GUIDE

Editor’s Note: During 2018, Pennsylvania Angler & the status of fishes in or introduced into Pennsylvania’s Boater magazine will feature select common fishes of major watersheds. Pennsylvania in each issue, providing scientific names and The table below denotes any known occurrence.

WATERSHEDS STATUS E O G P S D Freshwater Eels (Family Anguillidae) American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) N N N N Species Status Herrings (Family ) EN = Endangered Blueback Herring ( aestivalis) N TH = Threatened Skipjack Herring (Alosa chrysochloris) DL N Hickory Shad (Alosa mediocris) EN N C = Candidate Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) I N N American Shad (Alosa sapidissima) N N EX = Believed extirpated Atlantic (Brevoortia tyrannus) N DL = Delisted (removed from the Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) N N N N endangered, threatened or candidate species list due to significant Suckers (Family ) expansion of range and abundance) Carpsucker ( carpio) N (Carpiodes cyprinus) N N N N (Carpiodes velifer) EX N Watersheds ( catostomus) EN N N (Catostomus commersonii) N N N N N N E = Erie ( elongatus) EX N O = River Eastern ( oblongus) N N N (Erimyzon sucetta) EX N G = Genesee River ( nigricans) N N N N N X ( bubalus) DL N N P = (Ictiobus cyprinellus) EN N N S = Susquehanna River (Ictiobus niger) N (Minytrema melanops) TH N N D = Delaware River ( anisurum) N N (Moxostoma breviceps) N (Moxostoma carinatum) DL N Watershed Status (Moxostoma duquesnei) N N I = Introduced (Moxostoma erythrurum) N N X (Moxostoma macrolepidotum) N N N N = Native Pikes and Mudminnows (Family Esocidae) X = Present in drainage ( americanus americanus) N N Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus) N N (Esox lucius) N N I X I Tiger (Esox lucius x Esox masquinongy) I I I Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) N N I I I = icons indicate family (Esox niger) I N N N (Esox reichertii) I is included Central Mudminnow ( limi) C N N Eastern Mudminnow (Umbra pygmaea) C N * =Aquatic

www.fishandboat.com Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • September/October 2018 9 Freshwater Eels (Family Anguillidae)

American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus)

Herrings (Family Clupeidae)

American Shad (Alosa sapidissima)

Blueback Herring (Alosa aestivalis)

Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum)

ENDANGERED Not pictured: Skipjack Herring (Alosa chrysochloris) (Delisted) Hickory Shad (Alosa mediocris) Atlantic Menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus)

Suckers (Family Catostomidae)

Northern Hogsucker (Hypentelium nigricans) Quillback (Carpiodes cyprinus)

White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii) River Redhorse (Moxostoma carinatum) (Delisted)

10 Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • September/October 2018 www.gonefishingpa.com Suckers (Family Catostomidae) (continued) Pikes and Mudminnows (Family Esocidae)

Shorthead Redhorse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum) Redfin Pickerel (Esox americanus americanus)

Not pictured: (Carpiodes carpio) Highfin Carpsucker (Carpiodes velifer) (Extirpated) Longnose Sucker (Catostomus catostomus) (Endangered) Blue Sucker (Cycleptus elongatus) (Extirpated) Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus) Eastern Creek Chubsucker (Erimyzon oblongus) Lake Chubsucker (Erimyzon sucetta) (Extirpated) Smallmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus) (Delisted) Bigmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) (Endangered) Black Buffalo (Ictiobus niger) Spotted Sucker (Minytrema melanops) (Threatened) Silver Redhorse (Moxostoma anisurum) Smallmouth Redhorse (Moxostoma breviceps) Northern Pike (Esox lucius) Black Redhorse (Moxostoma duquesnei) Golden Redhorse (Moxostoma erythrurum)

Pike Species Identification

Color Patterns Tiger Muskellunge (Esox lucius x Esox masquinongy) Northern Pike has yellow bean-shaped spots on yellow-green to gray-green body. Muskellunge has light vertical bars or spots. Tiger Muskellunge has dark gray-green bars.

Scales Muskellunge has no scales on lower half of cheek and gill cover. Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy)

Northern Pike has fully scaled cheek with half of the gill cover scaled.

Chain Pickerel (Esox niger)

Tiger Muskellunge has scales covering 2/3 of the Not pictured: cheek and gill cover area, intermediate between Amur Pike (Esox reichertii) the Muskellunge and Central Mudminnow (Umbra limi) (Candidate) Northern Pike. Eastern Mudminnow (Umbra pygmaea) (Candidate)

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