Esocidae (pikes)
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Large size
Torpedo shaped
“Duck bill”
Fanglike teeth
Soft-rayed dorsal fin
toward posterior end
of body
• Caudal fin
homocercal, forked
Fish of Isle Royale web album
David Gagnon
northern pike (Esox lucius))
Esocidae
• Predators of vertebrates
– Fish, amphibians, birds,
mammals
• Ambush predators of
vegetated lakes
GLERL/NOAA
• Important IA sportfish
muskellunge (Esox masquinongy))
• Most small, a few large
• Mouth terminal or
subterminal; some with
barbels and/or suckerlike
lips
Cyprinidae (minnows)
Konrad Schmidt
• Fins of soft rays
(exceptions: common
carp, goldfish have 1 hard
ray on dorsal fin)
• Dorsal fin with < 10 rays
(exceptions: common
carp, goldfish have more,
but lack suckerlike lips)
• Cycloid scales
Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka))
• Most abundant IA fishes
in numbers of
individuals, species, and
biomass
Cyprinidae
Jane Cerza, Stratford Landing Virginia Elementary School
• Critical link in food webs
• Common carp (Cyprinus
carpio) and other exotic
species threaten native
species, ecosystems
common carp (Cyprinus carpio))
• Mouth usually
subterminal; lips usually
suckerlike and thick, often
papillose, plicate
(exception: bigmouth
buffalo)
Catostomidae (suckers)
GLERL/NOAA
• Fins of soft rays
• Dorsal fin usually with >
10 rays
quillback (Carpiodes cyprinus))
• Anal fin near posterior end
Iowa DNR
• Cycloid scales
northern hog sucker (Hypentelium nigricans))
Catostomidae
• Important food web
components
• Spectacular spawning runs
GLERL/NOAA
• Many IA species
endangered/extirpated
(sensitive to
environmental change)
• Buffalofishes
commercially important
(1+ million lbs. harvested
annually from border
rivers)
bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus))
Ictaluridae (bullheads, catfishes)
• Flat head with
abundant, long barbels
USDA Forest Service
• Sharp, heavy dorsal
and pectoral spines
(hard rays)
• Adipose fin
• Scaleless body
channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus))
Ictaluridae
• Primarily benthivorous;
omnivorous
• Glands in hard rays
release irritating chemical;
madtom hard rays
venomous
• Important food and
sportfish; channel catfish
might be most popular
sportfish in IA.
Iowa DNR
black bullhead (Ameiurus melas))
Percopsidae (trout-perches)
• Small body
Iowa DNR
• Dorsal, pelvic, anal
fins with spines
(perch-like)
trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus))
• Adipose fin (trout
like)
• Caudal fin forked
Percopsidae
• Consume aquatic
invertebrates
• Trout-perch (P.
omiscomaycus)
inhabits streams, lakes
of northwest IA
• Too small to be
commercially
important
trout-perch (Percopis omiscomaycus))
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