Post by Eugene on Jan 11, 2008 14:17:23 GMT -5
The following was edited and updated from an article originally run in Ohio Smallmouth News, Sept. 2004, 12(4).
Ohio’s fish families
by Eugene C. Braig IV
A great many readers of this newsletter are very accomplished anglers. Such accomplished anglers typically know the identification and habits of game fishes about as well as anybody can. They also are often very well-versed in the appearance and identification of game fishes’ fishy prey. Still, Ohio is home to a good many obscure or rare fishes that anglers might not often encounter. I intend this little note to serve as an introduction to all Ohio’s families of fishes. I do not intend this to be a comprehensive, encyclopedic account of all Ohio’s fishes (such a thing would require a great many pages and a great deal of postage to get it into your box), just a listing of all 28 families to have been found in Ohio waters with an example species or two given for each.
First, a note on naming and vocabulary. “Fish” vs. “fishes:” we are all taught in grade school that “fish” is the plural of “fish,” but one encounters “fishes” with some frequency in the literature. When is it proper to say “fishes?” The word “fishes” implies multiple taxa; it can usually be considered analogous to “multiple fish species.” For example, if you have a stringer with your limit of crappie, you have a lot of fish, but if you have a stringer with a pile of crappie, bluegill, and yellow perch, you have both a lot of fish and fishes (and I want to know where you’ve been fishing). Even so, laxity is common with common names (I would call a great many Lepomis macrochirus “a mess o’ bluegill,” but one often does hear “bluegills” used), so much so that the American Fisheries Society has generated a list of common names that are acceptable to pluralize.
Why do taxonomists use Latin? Common names are just too variable. They can vary across watersheds, counties, regions…even within the same household. For fishes with distributions that span several countries and languages (e.g., northern pike), common names become truly problematic. The scientific name of each species consists of two parts: a genus and a specific epithet; the two together are called a binomial. While genera are often named alone, a specific epithet is meaningless without the genus. Latin binomials should always be in italics or underlined. Family names are not italicized. The genus should always be capitalized and the specific epithet should never be. Common names are also not capitalized (except in only one instance of which I’m aware; bonus points go to whoever can tell me which). Sometimes one will encounter a person’s name and year after a Latin binomial. This is the name of the person who first described the species’ type specimen and the year in which the description was published: e.g., smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu Lacepède, 1802. If the describer’s name is in parentheses, the fish’s taxonomic categorization has been changed because of evidence surfacing subsequent to the fish’s naming. Finally, the formal family name should be capitalized, but not the informal: e.g., sunfishes and black basses are of the family Centrarchidae (or centrarchids amongst friends). Now, on to Ohio’s fish families.
1. Petromyzontidae, lampreys: These are very primitive eel-like animals; some debate whether or not they are true fish. Not only are they jawless, but they lack proper bones and paired fins. They have a single central nostril and seven external gill openings on each side. Non-parasitic species often carry the common name of “brook lamprey.” Larval lampreys are sub-benthic filter feeders and need clean, well-oxygenated stream beds to survive; the larval forms are called ammocoetes. The introduced sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) has wreaked havoc on Great Lakes’ fisheries. Native lampreys should not be considered a threat, not even our parasitic species (like the silver lamprey, Ichthyomyzon unicuspis), which are far smaller and less voracious than the sea lamprey.
2. Polyodontidae, paddlefishes: There are only two paddlefish species in the world. The other (Psephurus gladius) is an extremely endangered piscivore (i.e., a fish eater), lives in China, and can exceed 10 feet, some claim 20! Paddlefishes have asymmetric (i.e., heterocercal) tails, mostly lack scales, and look rather shark-like…if sharks had been endowed with the blade of a canoe paddle firmly planted in their snout. Ohio’s paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) filter feeds on plankton in large rivers and their backwaters. It can reach six feet, and the heavy females can produce massive amounts of eggs. Paddlefish caviar was highly prized before the fish became rare. It is threatened in Ohio.
3. Acipenseridae, sturgeons: Sturgeons are another group of rather primitive fishes. They have a heterocercal tail and skeletons of mostly cartilage. They have protruding snouts (albeit shorter snouted than paddlefishes), fleshy barbels, and their mouths are positioned on the ventral surface for feeding on bottom matter. Rather than scales, their bodies are protected by large bony scutes. They can get quite large; the lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) can reach around 8 ft and 300 lbs in Ohio! Sturgeons mature very late and their populations are easily exploited when harvested for their caviar. Ohio’s sturgeons are on our endangered list.
4. Lepisosteidae, gars: Finally, fishes with real bony skeletons. Gar jaws manifest as a long, toothy beak. Their scales (ganoid scales) are interlocking, tooth-like in their internal structure, and extremely hard. Legend has that tanned gar skin was used by pioneers to protect the rather low grade of steel they used in plows from errant rocks! Gars retain an asymmetric tail. While gar eggs are dark colored and look like caviar, they are reputed to be toxic. Gars are voracious predators. Longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) are very common in Ohio; other gars are downright scarce.
5. Amiidae, bowfin: There are a number of fossil bowfin species, but only one survives, North America’s bowfin or dogfish (Amia calva). Bowfin tails are slightly asymmetric (i.e., reduced heterocercal). They have a single, very long dorsal fin. Their scales are so unique in the fish world that they require a distinct name to describe their structure, amioid. Bowfin are roughly tube-shaped and, because of a bony plate beneath the underside of the gill covers in conjunction with a healthy slathering of mucus, there is no place to easily hang on to a bowfin. Voracious predators, they have a hearty rack of teeth and aren’t afraid to use them. Still, their predatory habit is not very selective, and they will happily chomp a worm in favor of pursuing goldfish. I have taken a good many on rod and reel in northern Ohio marshes; while they are physically strong, they tend to lack direction in the fight and often just roil around in a snake-like ball to be easily retrieved.
6. Anguillidae, freshwater eels: We all know eels: long, skinny, no pelvic fins, scales so tiny as to be near-microscopic… Mature eels live in fresh water, but migrate to the depths of the open Atlantic to spawn (a habit known as catadromy). American eel (Anguilla rostrata) occasionally reach Ohio waters.
7. Clupeidae, herrings: Herrings are flat-sided, silvery fishes. They have a single soft-rayed dorsal fin and freakish adipose eyelids. Their scales are cycloid (i.e., smooth and round) and generally highly deciduous. There is a ridge of strong-edged scales along the sharp crest of their belly called scutes (although these are scales and not true scutes); this has earned the family nickname of “sawbelly.” Herrings lack a lateral line, but have a complex and very sensitive lateral system concentrated entirely in the head; this facilitates strong schooling behavior. Ohio herrings can be important forage for game fish (e.g., gizzard shad, Dorosoma cepedianum) and are planktivores or detritivores (i.e., they eat wee drifting animals or general organic junk). However, they are so efficient in this niche that they can severely limit resources and hinder growth for young pan fish in many Ohio systems. One Ohio species occasionally is sought as a game fish, the skipjack (Alosa chrysochloris).
8. Hiodontidae, mooneyes: More flat and silvery fishes, but unlike herrings in that they have a proper lateral line and lack the saw belly. Their jaws also function very differently; the bite comes from teeth on a bony tongue biting against the roof of the mouth. Mooneye (Hiodon tergisus) is not uncommon; Goldeye (H. alosoides) is endangered in Ohio.
9. Salmonidae, trouts, salmons, and whitefishes: Coldwater fishes that are either freshwater or migrate to freshwater to spawn (the latter habit is called anadromy). The salmonids have cycloid scales, an adipose fin (i.e., a small, fleshy skin with no skeletal structure behind the main dorsal fin), and a single soft-rayed dorsal fin. Ohio’s only natives are technically chars—the now rare lake (Salvelinus namaycush) and brook (S. fontinalis) trouts—and whitefishes (Coregonus spp.). All our other trouts and salmons (both Oncorhynchus and Salmo spp.) were stocked with the original intent to prey upon and control alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), an invasive Atlantic herring in the Great Lakes. Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) on Lake Erie and some brown trout (Salmo trutta) inland are maintained in Ohio as recreational fisheries through stocking programs. All are important game or food fishes.
10. Osmeridae, smelts: Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) are Atlantic natives, but invaded the Great Lakes through a single stocking in Michigan in the early 20th century. They are related to salmonids and very similar in morphology…only mighty wee (i.e., to ca. 1’ max in Ohio, typically around 7” or so).
11. Umbridae, mudminnows: We have one species in Ohio, the central mudminnow (Umbra limi). Locally, they can be very common, but are seldom encountered by anglers because of their reclusive, backwater habits and diminutive size (2-4”). Mudminnows are related to pikes and physically quite similar in form, but lack the large, toothy jaws. They are ambush predators but primarily target tiny invertebrates. They make very interesting aquarium pets if you don’t mind their fussy preference for live invertebrates (they can be trained to take frozen blood and glass worms as well). The central mudminnow is not remotely aggressive towards other fish species, but will happily brutalize each other, so only keep one.
12. Esocidae, pikes: Pikes are voracious piscivores with, a single soft-rayed dorsal fin, a sleek arrow-like profile, and pronounced toothy jaws for ambush hunting. Ohio’s native game species—northern pike (Esox lucius) and muskellunge (E. masquinongy)—can get BIG (to 30 and 40 lbs respectively). Tiger musky is a hybrid between these two species that is no longer stocked into Ohio waters. The diminutive (to ca. 1’) grass pickerel (E. americanus) is still a fearsome predator (on a slightly lesser scale) and can provide some amusing diversion along slow-water vegetation in streams.
13. Cyprinidae, minnows: This family is massive and includes most of Ohio’s bait species (largely Notropis and Pimephales spp.) as well as non-native carps (Cyprinus carpio, Ctenopharyngodon idella, and Hypophthalmichthys spp.) and goldfish (Carassius auratus). They have cycloid scales and a single dorsal fin. Common carp and larger goldfish have a prominent, potentially hazardous spine in their dorsal and anal fins (this is not a true spine but actually a modified ray). Most native minnows can be described as “nondescript, small, silvery fishes.” Common names of minnows usually reflect physical characteristics and rarely have anything to do with the relationship of one species to another: carps are minnows that happen to be big (none are native to Ohio), shiners are minnows that happen to be shiny, chubs are minnows that happen to have barbels, daces are minnows that have extremely fine scales, and minnows are minnows that happen to be completely bland and nondescript. Spawning males of many species can be quite spectacularly colored in the spring. If you get the chance, use a seine to seek out the tiny, sleek, and trout-like insectivore, the redside dace (Clinostomus elongatus). Some Ohio minnows are endangered and may have been extirpated.
14. Catostomidae, suckers: Suckers are very minnow-like, but usually with subterminal, sucker-like mouths. Exceptions to the sucker-like mouth rule are the carp-like buffalofishes (Ictiobus spp.). All suckers have an anal fin positioned further astern than minnows do. Many redhorses (Moxostoma spp.) are indicators of good water quality. White (Catostomus commersoni) and northern hognose (Hypentelium nigricans) suckers are popular bait fish for pike and musky fishing. Several Ohio suckers are endangered and one—the harelip sucker (Lagochila lacera)—is extinct.
15. Ictaluridae, bullhead catfishes: While catfishes are highly diverse worldwide, this is Ohio’s only catfish family. Many Ohio species are very common so we are accustomed to their appearance, but in the grand scheme of fishy things, they are truly freakish. They have large, terminal mouths and powerful jaws flanked by pronounced barbels. They lack scales. Their pectoral and dorsal fins each carry a weapon-like spine (actually a modified fin ray). They have a really nasty-looking, fleshy adipose fin. Their body form is dorsoventrally depressed at the bow, but shifts to laterally compressed in the stern. The whole of their body surface functions as a chemoreceptor (a “nose” or “taste bud” if you prefer). In diet, they are very flexible omnivores. We are used to the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), and even bullheads (Ameiurus spp.) as game fish (although some of us won’t admit it). Also worth seeking are the few-inch-long madtoms (Noturus spp.) that can make interesting aquarium pets. Many people confuse mature channel cat for blue catfish (I. furcatus), but native blue cat are extremely rare in Ohio’s natural waters and are on Ohio’s endangered species list. The best way to differentiate between blue and channel catfishes is to count anal fin rays (30-36 for the blue and 24-30 for the channel).
16. Percopsidae, trout-perches: Trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus) is Ohio’s only species. It is a kind of evolutionary intermediary between the species above and those below. It grows to 3-5”, has large eyes, an adipose fin, both cycloid and ctenoid (i.e., rough or toothed) scales, and both rather mushy spines as well as soft rays in a single dorsal fin. It is common throughout Lake Erie and in Ohio’s bigger streams.
Ohio’s fish families
by Eugene C. Braig IV
A great many readers of this newsletter are very accomplished anglers. Such accomplished anglers typically know the identification and habits of game fishes about as well as anybody can. They also are often very well-versed in the appearance and identification of game fishes’ fishy prey. Still, Ohio is home to a good many obscure or rare fishes that anglers might not often encounter. I intend this little note to serve as an introduction to all Ohio’s families of fishes. I do not intend this to be a comprehensive, encyclopedic account of all Ohio’s fishes (such a thing would require a great many pages and a great deal of postage to get it into your box), just a listing of all 28 families to have been found in Ohio waters with an example species or two given for each.
First, a note on naming and vocabulary. “Fish” vs. “fishes:” we are all taught in grade school that “fish” is the plural of “fish,” but one encounters “fishes” with some frequency in the literature. When is it proper to say “fishes?” The word “fishes” implies multiple taxa; it can usually be considered analogous to “multiple fish species.” For example, if you have a stringer with your limit of crappie, you have a lot of fish, but if you have a stringer with a pile of crappie, bluegill, and yellow perch, you have both a lot of fish and fishes (and I want to know where you’ve been fishing). Even so, laxity is common with common names (I would call a great many Lepomis macrochirus “a mess o’ bluegill,” but one often does hear “bluegills” used), so much so that the American Fisheries Society has generated a list of common names that are acceptable to pluralize.
Why do taxonomists use Latin? Common names are just too variable. They can vary across watersheds, counties, regions…even within the same household. For fishes with distributions that span several countries and languages (e.g., northern pike), common names become truly problematic. The scientific name of each species consists of two parts: a genus and a specific epithet; the two together are called a binomial. While genera are often named alone, a specific epithet is meaningless without the genus. Latin binomials should always be in italics or underlined. Family names are not italicized. The genus should always be capitalized and the specific epithet should never be. Common names are also not capitalized (except in only one instance of which I’m aware; bonus points go to whoever can tell me which). Sometimes one will encounter a person’s name and year after a Latin binomial. This is the name of the person who first described the species’ type specimen and the year in which the description was published: e.g., smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu Lacepède, 1802. If the describer’s name is in parentheses, the fish’s taxonomic categorization has been changed because of evidence surfacing subsequent to the fish’s naming. Finally, the formal family name should be capitalized, but not the informal: e.g., sunfishes and black basses are of the family Centrarchidae (or centrarchids amongst friends). Now, on to Ohio’s fish families.
1. Petromyzontidae, lampreys: These are very primitive eel-like animals; some debate whether or not they are true fish. Not only are they jawless, but they lack proper bones and paired fins. They have a single central nostril and seven external gill openings on each side. Non-parasitic species often carry the common name of “brook lamprey.” Larval lampreys are sub-benthic filter feeders and need clean, well-oxygenated stream beds to survive; the larval forms are called ammocoetes. The introduced sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) has wreaked havoc on Great Lakes’ fisheries. Native lampreys should not be considered a threat, not even our parasitic species (like the silver lamprey, Ichthyomyzon unicuspis), which are far smaller and less voracious than the sea lamprey.
2. Polyodontidae, paddlefishes: There are only two paddlefish species in the world. The other (Psephurus gladius) is an extremely endangered piscivore (i.e., a fish eater), lives in China, and can exceed 10 feet, some claim 20! Paddlefishes have asymmetric (i.e., heterocercal) tails, mostly lack scales, and look rather shark-like…if sharks had been endowed with the blade of a canoe paddle firmly planted in their snout. Ohio’s paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) filter feeds on plankton in large rivers and their backwaters. It can reach six feet, and the heavy females can produce massive amounts of eggs. Paddlefish caviar was highly prized before the fish became rare. It is threatened in Ohio.
3. Acipenseridae, sturgeons: Sturgeons are another group of rather primitive fishes. They have a heterocercal tail and skeletons of mostly cartilage. They have protruding snouts (albeit shorter snouted than paddlefishes), fleshy barbels, and their mouths are positioned on the ventral surface for feeding on bottom matter. Rather than scales, their bodies are protected by large bony scutes. They can get quite large; the lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) can reach around 8 ft and 300 lbs in Ohio! Sturgeons mature very late and their populations are easily exploited when harvested for their caviar. Ohio’s sturgeons are on our endangered list.
4. Lepisosteidae, gars: Finally, fishes with real bony skeletons. Gar jaws manifest as a long, toothy beak. Their scales (ganoid scales) are interlocking, tooth-like in their internal structure, and extremely hard. Legend has that tanned gar skin was used by pioneers to protect the rather low grade of steel they used in plows from errant rocks! Gars retain an asymmetric tail. While gar eggs are dark colored and look like caviar, they are reputed to be toxic. Gars are voracious predators. Longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) are very common in Ohio; other gars are downright scarce.
5. Amiidae, bowfin: There are a number of fossil bowfin species, but only one survives, North America’s bowfin or dogfish (Amia calva). Bowfin tails are slightly asymmetric (i.e., reduced heterocercal). They have a single, very long dorsal fin. Their scales are so unique in the fish world that they require a distinct name to describe their structure, amioid. Bowfin are roughly tube-shaped and, because of a bony plate beneath the underside of the gill covers in conjunction with a healthy slathering of mucus, there is no place to easily hang on to a bowfin. Voracious predators, they have a hearty rack of teeth and aren’t afraid to use them. Still, their predatory habit is not very selective, and they will happily chomp a worm in favor of pursuing goldfish. I have taken a good many on rod and reel in northern Ohio marshes; while they are physically strong, they tend to lack direction in the fight and often just roil around in a snake-like ball to be easily retrieved.
6. Anguillidae, freshwater eels: We all know eels: long, skinny, no pelvic fins, scales so tiny as to be near-microscopic… Mature eels live in fresh water, but migrate to the depths of the open Atlantic to spawn (a habit known as catadromy). American eel (Anguilla rostrata) occasionally reach Ohio waters.
7. Clupeidae, herrings: Herrings are flat-sided, silvery fishes. They have a single soft-rayed dorsal fin and freakish adipose eyelids. Their scales are cycloid (i.e., smooth and round) and generally highly deciduous. There is a ridge of strong-edged scales along the sharp crest of their belly called scutes (although these are scales and not true scutes); this has earned the family nickname of “sawbelly.” Herrings lack a lateral line, but have a complex and very sensitive lateral system concentrated entirely in the head; this facilitates strong schooling behavior. Ohio herrings can be important forage for game fish (e.g., gizzard shad, Dorosoma cepedianum) and are planktivores or detritivores (i.e., they eat wee drifting animals or general organic junk). However, they are so efficient in this niche that they can severely limit resources and hinder growth for young pan fish in many Ohio systems. One Ohio species occasionally is sought as a game fish, the skipjack (Alosa chrysochloris).
8. Hiodontidae, mooneyes: More flat and silvery fishes, but unlike herrings in that they have a proper lateral line and lack the saw belly. Their jaws also function very differently; the bite comes from teeth on a bony tongue biting against the roof of the mouth. Mooneye (Hiodon tergisus) is not uncommon; Goldeye (H. alosoides) is endangered in Ohio.
9. Salmonidae, trouts, salmons, and whitefishes: Coldwater fishes that are either freshwater or migrate to freshwater to spawn (the latter habit is called anadromy). The salmonids have cycloid scales, an adipose fin (i.e., a small, fleshy skin with no skeletal structure behind the main dorsal fin), and a single soft-rayed dorsal fin. Ohio’s only natives are technically chars—the now rare lake (Salvelinus namaycush) and brook (S. fontinalis) trouts—and whitefishes (Coregonus spp.). All our other trouts and salmons (both Oncorhynchus and Salmo spp.) were stocked with the original intent to prey upon and control alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), an invasive Atlantic herring in the Great Lakes. Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) on Lake Erie and some brown trout (Salmo trutta) inland are maintained in Ohio as recreational fisheries through stocking programs. All are important game or food fishes.
10. Osmeridae, smelts: Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) are Atlantic natives, but invaded the Great Lakes through a single stocking in Michigan in the early 20th century. They are related to salmonids and very similar in morphology…only mighty wee (i.e., to ca. 1’ max in Ohio, typically around 7” or so).
11. Umbridae, mudminnows: We have one species in Ohio, the central mudminnow (Umbra limi). Locally, they can be very common, but are seldom encountered by anglers because of their reclusive, backwater habits and diminutive size (2-4”). Mudminnows are related to pikes and physically quite similar in form, but lack the large, toothy jaws. They are ambush predators but primarily target tiny invertebrates. They make very interesting aquarium pets if you don’t mind their fussy preference for live invertebrates (they can be trained to take frozen blood and glass worms as well). The central mudminnow is not remotely aggressive towards other fish species, but will happily brutalize each other, so only keep one.
12. Esocidae, pikes: Pikes are voracious piscivores with, a single soft-rayed dorsal fin, a sleek arrow-like profile, and pronounced toothy jaws for ambush hunting. Ohio’s native game species—northern pike (Esox lucius) and muskellunge (E. masquinongy)—can get BIG (to 30 and 40 lbs respectively). Tiger musky is a hybrid between these two species that is no longer stocked into Ohio waters. The diminutive (to ca. 1’) grass pickerel (E. americanus) is still a fearsome predator (on a slightly lesser scale) and can provide some amusing diversion along slow-water vegetation in streams.
13. Cyprinidae, minnows: This family is massive and includes most of Ohio’s bait species (largely Notropis and Pimephales spp.) as well as non-native carps (Cyprinus carpio, Ctenopharyngodon idella, and Hypophthalmichthys spp.) and goldfish (Carassius auratus). They have cycloid scales and a single dorsal fin. Common carp and larger goldfish have a prominent, potentially hazardous spine in their dorsal and anal fins (this is not a true spine but actually a modified ray). Most native minnows can be described as “nondescript, small, silvery fishes.” Common names of minnows usually reflect physical characteristics and rarely have anything to do with the relationship of one species to another: carps are minnows that happen to be big (none are native to Ohio), shiners are minnows that happen to be shiny, chubs are minnows that happen to have barbels, daces are minnows that have extremely fine scales, and minnows are minnows that happen to be completely bland and nondescript. Spawning males of many species can be quite spectacularly colored in the spring. If you get the chance, use a seine to seek out the tiny, sleek, and trout-like insectivore, the redside dace (Clinostomus elongatus). Some Ohio minnows are endangered and may have been extirpated.
14. Catostomidae, suckers: Suckers are very minnow-like, but usually with subterminal, sucker-like mouths. Exceptions to the sucker-like mouth rule are the carp-like buffalofishes (Ictiobus spp.). All suckers have an anal fin positioned further astern than minnows do. Many redhorses (Moxostoma spp.) are indicators of good water quality. White (Catostomus commersoni) and northern hognose (Hypentelium nigricans) suckers are popular bait fish for pike and musky fishing. Several Ohio suckers are endangered and one—the harelip sucker (Lagochila lacera)—is extinct.
15. Ictaluridae, bullhead catfishes: While catfishes are highly diverse worldwide, this is Ohio’s only catfish family. Many Ohio species are very common so we are accustomed to their appearance, but in the grand scheme of fishy things, they are truly freakish. They have large, terminal mouths and powerful jaws flanked by pronounced barbels. They lack scales. Their pectoral and dorsal fins each carry a weapon-like spine (actually a modified fin ray). They have a really nasty-looking, fleshy adipose fin. Their body form is dorsoventrally depressed at the bow, but shifts to laterally compressed in the stern. The whole of their body surface functions as a chemoreceptor (a “nose” or “taste bud” if you prefer). In diet, they are very flexible omnivores. We are used to the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), and even bullheads (Ameiurus spp.) as game fish (although some of us won’t admit it). Also worth seeking are the few-inch-long madtoms (Noturus spp.) that can make interesting aquarium pets. Many people confuse mature channel cat for blue catfish (I. furcatus), but native blue cat are extremely rare in Ohio’s natural waters and are on Ohio’s endangered species list. The best way to differentiate between blue and channel catfishes is to count anal fin rays (30-36 for the blue and 24-30 for the channel).
16. Percopsidae, trout-perches: Trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus) is Ohio’s only species. It is a kind of evolutionary intermediary between the species above and those below. It grows to 3-5”, has large eyes, an adipose fin, both cycloid and ctenoid (i.e., rough or toothed) scales, and both rather mushy spines as well as soft rays in a single dorsal fin. It is common throughout Lake Erie and in Ohio’s bigger streams.