Moxostoma macrolepidotum
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Moxostoma macrolepidotum |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Moxostoma macrolepidotum | ||||||||||||
| ( Lesueur , 1817) |
Moxostoma macrolepidotum , engl. Shorthead Redhorse, belongs to the family of the suction carp .
distribution and habitat
Moxostoma macrolepidotum is found in central and northern North America . The species is originally native to the Great Lakes , Canada's Hudson Bay , the Mississippi River and the St. Lawrence River . They live from the Canadian provinces of Québec and Alberta to Alabama and Oklahoma in the southern United States. Another area of distribution are the waters of the east coast to the Santee River in South Carolina . The fish species can be found in different habitats, such as in the Hudson River near New York, the river system of the Embarras River in Illinois or the Lake Texoma reservoir and Red River in Grayson County , in northern Texas . They can live in clear, cool waters as well as in warmer waters clouded by sedimentation. The species is therefore considered a "habitat generalist". M. macrolepidotum prefers large rivers and lakes as habitats.
description
Moxostoma macrolepidotum grows to about 75 centimeters long and 3.9 kilograms. As the English name Shorthead Redhorse suggests, the head is short, in specimens over 19 cm it makes up about 20% of the standard length . The rear end of the lower lip is almost straight, the folds of the lower lip are interrupted by transverse furrows. The back is olive-light brown, the sides olive-yellow and tinged with copper or silver, the underside white or yellow. The concave to sickle-shaped dorsal fin has 12 to 13 fin rays , the large caudal fin is moderately forked. The distal edge of the caudal fin is usually dark red, the pelvic fins and anal fin vary from white to pale orange. There are usually 42 to 44 scales along the sidelines .
Way of life
M. macrolepidotum mainly looks for food close to the ground and feeds on small animals and plant material. The fish can reach a maximum age of 17 years. The animals become sexually mature after 2.5 to six years, depending on the respective water temperature of their habitat. During spawning time, in spring (March to June) when the water rises, the fish seek out smaller flowing waters and spawn on gravel or rocky ground. Spawning takes place at water temperatures between 7 and 16 ° C. The Rogner (females) can produce between 18,000 and 44,000 eggs.
Economical meaning
M. macrolepidotum is a sport fish despite its bone-rich meat. In the ecosystem of North American waters, the species is an important prey fish for pike species such as muscle lung and pike . Young fish of M. macrolepidotum serve as food for pike, glass-eyed perch and black bass .
Endangerment status
The population of M. macrolepidotum is not considered to be endangered, but is partially impaired by water engineering measures. Dams, which also obstruct the migration routes of salmon and trout, also make it impossible for M. macrolepidotum to get to its spawning waters. However, M. macrolepidotum is less sensitive than other types of suction carp. The species, on the other hand, is very sensitive to chemical water pollution, be it from municipal sewage or industrial residues. The insecticide chlordane in particular has a very negative effect on the M. macrolepidotum population .
Web links
- M. Sule and T. Skelly: The life history of the shorthead redhorse, Moxostoma macrolepidotum, in the Kankakee River drainage, Illinois. (1985), Biodiversity Heritage Library, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ( Online , Engl.)
- Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency: Moxostoma macrolepidotum (Lesueur, 1817). Comprehensive Report (English; PDF; 196 kB)
- Moxostoma macrolepidotum in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.2. Listed by: NatureServe, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
Notes and individual references
- ↑ literal translation "Kurzkopf-Rotpferd"
- ↑ G. Hammerson: Moxostoma macrolepidotum , NatureServe Explorer, 2006 Online
- ↑ Pam Fuller: Moxostoma macrolepidotum . USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, 2011 Online
- ↑ it is assumed that they immigrated via the Mohawk River
- ↑ a b c d Moxostoma macrolepidotum on Fishbase.org (English)
- ^ Robert G Werner: Freshwater Fishes of the Northeastern United States: A Field Guide. Syracuse University Press 2004, ISBN 978-0815630203 , p. 149.
- ↑ Fred C. Rohde, Rudolf G. Arndt, Jeffrey W. Foltz: Freshwater fishes of South Carolina. University of South Carolina Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1570036804 , p. 204.
- ↑ Lawrence M. Page, Brooks M. Burr: Freshwater Fishes. Houghton Mifflin, 2011, ISBN 978-0547242064 , p. 184.
- ↑ referred to as Northern Pike in the USA