Olympic dogfish

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Olympic dogfish
Three males of Novumbra hubbsi

Three males of Novumbra hubbsi

Systematics
Overcohort : Clupeocephala
Cohort : Euteleosteomorpha
Order : Pike-like (Esociformes)
Family : Esocidae
Genre : Novumbra
Type : Olympic dogfish
Scientific name of the  genus
Novumbra
Schultz , 1929
Scientific name of the  species
Novumbra hubbsi
Schultz , 1929

The Olympic dogfish ( Novumbra hubbsi ) is a species of fish belonging to the order of the pike-like and was described in 1929 . It is the only species of the monotypical genus Novumbra . It got its German name from the Olympic Peninsula , its home in the state of Washington in the northwest of the USA between 45 and 48 ° north latitude.

Characteristics and biology

Outwardly, these dogfish resemble the Cyprinodontidae (toothfish) or, as the English name "mud-minnow" suggests, also many small carp fish . However, unlike these, they mainly use their pectoral, dorsal and anus fins to maneuver through the dense vegetation ( tetraodontiform swimming style).

Fin formula of the Olympic dogfish: D 12–15, A 10–13, P 15–21, V 5–7, C 19 (with 5–7 anterior rays above and below, rear edge straight or slightly curved).

The “ side lines ” are missing, the body is surrounded by approx. Novumbra has 37–40 vertebrae (of which approx. 19 caudal vertebrae) and 7–9 curved sword-shaped gill skin rays. The species becomes 8 cm long and is dark brown-silvery with about twelve narrow light bands (very similar to Umbra limi , but a bit more compact and without a black tail spot ).

During the breeding season (spring - early summer) the male becomes aggressive and very territorial; it darkens, takes on a purple shimmer ( dorsals and anals are then lined with light) and advertises strongly to the greenish female. The sticky eggs are usually deposited in plants near the substrate. The light brown boys initially attach themselves to aquatic plants using sticky mucus from head glands. A parental care was not observed.

distribution

The home of the Olympic dogfish is the state of Washington in the northwest of the USA between 45 and 48 ° north latitude. The distribution area extends from Lake Ozette and the area of ​​the Queets River to that of the upper reaches of the Chehalis; In the event of high water, it can also reach the Deschutes river basin. All named waters flow from the west into the southern part of the Puget Sound . But there are also allegedly deposits to the east of it. It occurs in calm, vegetation-rich waters, partly boggy provenance with humic (brown, acidic [pH around 6]) water and temperatures of 4 to 25 ° C. Their bottom is mostly muddy, as the name "mud-minnow" indicates. The size of the water body is subject to strong seasonal fluctuations due to flooding and drying out. An unanswered question is whether the species burrows itself in the mud in order to be able to survive shorter dry periods. Together with it occur there: Gasterosteus aculeatus , Cottus sp., Ictalurus sp., Oncorhynchus spp. (Young fish) and others.

Because of its small area of ​​distribution, which as a wasteland is always in danger of "re-zoning", the fish is potentially endangered (although US legislation is very species-friendly for creatures with small habitats).

relationship

Traditionally, Novumbra was placed among the dogfish because of its small size . In its anatomy, however, Novumbra is more like the pike ( Esox ) and, as a sister genus , is also phylogenetically closer to them. As a solution, the American ichthyologists Terry C. Grande and Mark VH Wilson put the genera Novumbra and Dallia in the family of Esocidae in the new edition of Fishes of the World , the standard work on fish systematics .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Leonard P. Schultz (1929): Description of a new type of mud-minnow from western Washington, with notes on related species. - Univ. Wash. Publ. Fish. 2: 73-81 (2 pl.)
  2. ↑ Palæos: Novumbra
  3. ↑ Paul E. Mongillo, Molly Hallock: Washington state status report for the Olympic mudminnow. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia. 36 pp, 1999. ( Online )
  4. ^ Jamie Glasgow, Molly Hallock: Olympic mudminnow (Novumbra hubbsi) in the Green Cove Creek Watershed, Thurston County, Washington: Distribution and Recommendations for Protection. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish Program Management Division, December 2009. ( Online )
  5. ^ López, JA, WJ Chen, & G. Ortí. 2004. Esociform phylogeny . Copeia , 2004 (3): 449-464. Abstract
  6. ^ Tree of Life Web Project. 2005. Esociformes
  7. ^ Joseph S. Nelson, Terry C. Grande, Mark VH Wilson: Fishes of the World. Wiley, Hoboken, New Jersey, 2016, ISBN 978-1118342336

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