Fishes of Pennsylvania
Introduction to the Nekton
Fishes of Pennsylvania
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Lampreys
Sturgeons
Paddlefish
Gars
Bowfin
American Eel
Herrings
Minnows
Suckers
Catfishes
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Pikes
Rainbow Smelt
Trout and Salmon
Burbot
Banded Killifish
Threespine Stickleback
Sculpin
Temperate Basses
Sunfishes
Perches
Freshwater Drum
Major Streams of Pennsylvania
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.
Sturgeons
• The Lake Sturgeon –
Acipenser fulvescens- 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
Paddlefish
• Paddlefish –Polydon
spathula- 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.
Gar
• Two gar species occur in
PA: The Spotted Gar
and the Longnose Gar.
• The Longnose Gar –
Lepidosteus osseus- is in
low numbers through
the lower Great Lakes,
western PA and
extreme lower
Susquehanna River.
Bowfin
• Bowfin – Amia calvia
• Found mainly around
Presque Isle and in the
lower parts of the major
drainages.
• Can tolerate very warm
water and gulp air.
American Eel
• The American Eel –
Anguila americana –
occurs in the Delaware
River drainage.
• Now attempts are being
made to return the eel
to the Susquehanna
River
Herrings
• This family includes Blueback
Herring, Alewife, Gizzard Shad,
Hickory Shad, and American
Shad.
• The American Shad –Alosa
sapidissima- 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
Minnows
• PA has 39 species of
minnows, including
exotics like Carp and
Goldfish.
• The minnows of
Pennsylvania include:
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Bluntnose Minnow
Cutlips Minnow
Central Stoneroller
Emerald Shiner
Hornyhead Chub
Grass Carp
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Common Carp
Common Shiner
River Chub
Golden Shiner
Fathead Minnow
Spotfin Shiner
Rosyface Shiner
Blacknose Dace
Longnose Dace
Creek Chub
Fallfish
Cutlips Minnow
• Cutlips Minnow
(Exoglossum maxillingua)
• 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
Common Carp
• The Common Carp
(Cyprinus carpio)
• Native to Asia and
eastern Europe;
considered invasive in
some watersheds
• Found in many habitats,
but prefer slow-moving
water with a welldeveloped littoral zone
Common Shiner
• Common Shiner
(Notropis cornutus)
• 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
Spotfin Shiner
• Spotfin Shiner
(Cyprinella spiloptera)
• Common in streams
throughout the east
• Omnivore: plants,
insects, small fish near
the surface
Longnose Dace
• Longnose Dace
(Rhinichthyes cataractae)
• In streams with riffles
and pools
• Mainly staying near the
bottom where they feed
on insect larvae,
particularly chironomids
Suckers
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Quillback Carpsucker
White Sucker
Northern Hog Sucker
The Redhorses
– River Redhorse
– Shorthead Redhorse
Quillback Carpsucker
• The Quillback Carpsucker
(Carpoides cyprinus)
• 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
White Sucker
• The White Sucker
(Catostomus commersoni)
• Cylindrical body with a
rounded snout
• Range from headwaters
to warm, low oxygen
water.
• They are omnivores,
feeding on plants,
zooplankton, benthos
Northern Hog Sucker
• The Northern Hogsucker
(Hypentelium nigricans)
• The body is cylindrical
and darkly camouflaged
• Found in clean streams
• Overturn rock while
scraping biofilm, and
aquatic
macroinvertebrates
Catfishes
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White Catfish
Yellow Bullhead
Brown Bullhead
Channel Catfish
Margined Madtom
Stonecat
Flathead Catfish
Brown Bullhead
• Brown Bullhead
(Ameiurus nebulosus)
• Cylindrical body with
flattened head
• Found in lakes, ponds
and slow-moving rivers
• Tolerate warm water
and low oxygen
• Omnivorous
Channel Catfish
• Channel Catfish
(Ictalurus punctatus)
• 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
Margined Madtom
• Margined Madtom
(Noturus insignis)
• Small, tubular fish; have
poison glands
associated with pectoral
spines
• Found in rocks in riffles
• Feed on benthic
macroinvertebrates
Pikes
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Redfin Pickerel
Grass Pickerel
Northern Pike
Tiger Muskellunge
Muskellunge
Chain Pickerel
Muskellunge
• The Muskellunge
(Esox masquinongy)
• Tubular fish, nearly
1.5M long
• Found in large clean
rivers with submerged
vegetation
• Ambush predator
Chain Pickerel
• The Chain Pickerel
(Esox niger)
• 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
Rainbow Smelt
• The Rainbow Smelt
(Osmerus mordax)
• Like a minnow with
strong teeth
• Anadromous fish
introduced to the Great
Lakes
• Feed on insects and fish
fry
Trout and Salmon
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Coho Salmon
Chinook Salmon
Pink Salmon
Rainbow Trout
Steelhead
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Golden Rainbow Trout
Brown Trout
Brook trout
Lake trout
Atlantic Salmon
Brook Trout
• The Brook Trout
(Salvelinus fontinalis)
• 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
Rainbow Trout
• Rainbow Trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss)
• 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
Burbot
• Burbot (Lota lota)
• 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
Banded Killifish
• The Banded Killifish
(Fundulus diaphanus)
• Established in most
drainages in PA
• Called topminnnow, but
feed at all levels of slowmoving parts of streams
• Eat macroinvertebrates,
mainly insects and
crustacea. Will take small
fish.
Threespine Stickleback
• The Threespine Stickleback
(Gasterosteous aculeatus)
• 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
Sculpins
• There are two species
of sculpins in PA waters:
Mottled Sculpin (Cottus
bairdi) 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
Temperate Basses
• This family includes White
Perch (Morone americana),
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
Sunfishes
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Redear Sunfish
Banded Sunfish
Blackbanded Sunfish
Bluespotted Sunfish
Warmouth
Mud Sunfish
Longear Sunfish
Rock Bass
Redbreast Sunfish
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Green Sunfish
Pumpkinseed
Bluegill
Smallmouth Bass
Spotted Bass
Largemouth Bass
White Crappie
Black Crappie
Bluegill
• Bluegill (Lepomis
macrochirus)
• Oval deep body that is
laterally-flattened
• In lakes, ponds, and slowmoving parts of streams
with submerged plants
• Eat aquatic
macroinvertebrates, small
fish, and, occasionally,
plants
Smallmouth Bass
• The Smallmouth Bass
(Micropterus dolomieui)
• 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
Largemouth Bass
• Largemouth Bass
(Micropterus salmoides)
• 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
Perches
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Greenside Darter
Banded Darter
Rainbow Darter
Bluebreast Darter
Johnny Darter
Tesselated Darter
Gilt Darter
Spotted Darter
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Longhead Darter
Eastern Sand Darter
Tippecanoe Darter
Yellow Perch
Logperch
Sauger
Saugeye
Walleye
Tesselated Darter
• The Tesselated Darter
(Etheostoma olmstedi)
• Tubular body with large
pectoral fins
• Sandy or rock bottom in
flowing water
• Eat small insects and
crustaceans
Yellow Perch
• Yellow Perch
(Perca flavescens)
• Throughout the
northern US
• In warm to cool lakes,
ponds, and slow-moving
parts of streams
• Adults eat mainly small
fish
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
Freshwater Drum
• The Freshwater Drum
(Aplodinotus grunniens)
• Called croakers; mainly
from a marine family
• In the Great Lakes and
the western rivers of PA
• Feeds on mollusks,
insects, and crustaceans
Fishes Classified According to Habitat
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Littoral Zone
Limnetic Zone
Benthic Zone
Streams
– Upper Reaches
– Middle Reaches
– Lower reaches
Fishes Classified According to
Ecological Conditions
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Temperature
Light
Water Movement
Food
Social Factors
Population Density
Population Structure