Ichthyology - Fish we've studied

Channel Catfish

• Ictalurus punctatus
• 2-10 pounds
• 15-25 inches
• Widespread and common
• Occurs statewide in large
streams, rivers, and lakes
• Often have black spots on
their sides
• Deeply forked tail
• Anal fin with a rounded
edge and 24-30 rays

Blue Catfish

• Ictalurus furcatus
• 10-40 pounds (can exceed 100
pounds)
• 30-40 inches
• Uncommon prefers “natural”
rivers
• Most common in the Ohio River
from Portsmouth to Cincinnati
• Deeply forked tail
• Anal fin straight bottom edge
with 30-36 rays
• Light gray body with no spots

Flathead Catfish

• Pylodictis olivaris
• Most common large catfish in
Ohio
• 10-40 pounds
• 20-40 inches
• Large to medium rivers and
reservoirs
• Piscivorous fish
• Favorite target of noodlers
• Head flattened
• Lower jaw is longer than upper
• Square tail

Yellow Bullhead

Ameiurus natalis

• ID: Chin barbels are white to yellow; body olive/yellow-brown

• Ecology: Prefers cleaner, clearer water than other bullheads; more active predator

• Notes/Uses: Good eating; less tolerant of pollution

Black Bullhead

Ameiurus melas

• ID: Chin barbels are dark/black; body more uniformly dark (less mottled than brown)

• Ecology: Most tolerant of murky, warm, low-oxygen water; often in muddy habitats

• Notes/Uses: Often abundant; used as food and sometimes bait

Brown Bullhead

Ameiurus nebulosus

• ID: Chin barbels are dark/black; mottled brown body

• Ecology: Very tolerant of low oxygen and poor water; ponds, lakes, slow streams

• Notes/Uses: Common food and sport fish; very hardy

Stonecat

Notorus flavus
• Eyes on top of head
• Adipose narrowly connected to caudal fin

Brindled Madtom

Notorus miurus
• 3-4 dark saddles on back
• dark pigment on the top edge of the dorsal fin
• adipose fin has a dark band that goes up to
and across the top edge of the fin

Lamprey

• NO PAIRED FINS
• JAWLESS
• GILL OPENINGS

Lake Sturgeon

Huso fulvescens
• SHOVEL-SHAPED SNOUT
• LARGE, FLESHY BARBELS
• BONY PLATES (SCUTES) ON HEAD, BACK, AND SIDE
• LISTED AS A STATE ENDANGERED SPECIES

Paddlefish

Polyodon spathula
• LONG SNOUT SHAPED LIKE CANOE PADDLE
• LISTED AS THREATENED SPECIES IN OHIO

Gars

• HARD GANOID SCALES
• LONG AND NARROW SNOUT CONTAINING MANY NEEDLE-LIKE TEETH

Bowfin

Amia calva
• HAS SHORT, ROUNDED SNOUT
• A GULAR PLATE (BONY PLATE UNDER CHIN)
• LONG DORSAL FIN

Mooneye

Hiodon tergisus
• DEEP, SILVERY BODY
• BIG, OVERSIZED EYE

American Eel

Anguilla rostrata
• ELONGATE, SERPENTINE BODY
• SMALL, ROUNDED PECTORAL FINS

Shads

• SAWBELLIES
• BRIGHT SILVER

Least Brook Lamprey

Lampetra aepyptera
Dorsal fin divided by deep notch

Lacks dark pigment on caudal fin

Fantail Darter

Etheostoma flabellare
Body slender, head long and rather pointed

Protruding lower jaw

Rounded tail, with dark spots forming wavy bands

First dorsal fin is shorter than the second.

Johnny Darter

Etheostoma nigrum

Body slender

Back and upper sides straw-colored with some brown.

Sides pale brown or yellow with X or Y shaped dark markings

Caudal fin squared off, with spots forming wavy, vertical bands

Spotted Bass

Micropterus punctulatus

Body olive-green on back with lighter silvery sides and white belly

Large mouth but not extending

Circular tooth patch in center of tongue

Wide black lateral band down side broken into vertical bars or blotches

Dorsal fins connected

Largemouth Bass

Micropterus salmoides

Back dark olive-green, sides silvery into white belly

Very large mouth, posterior edge of lower jaw when closed extends behind the eye

Usually no tooth patch

Black lateral stripe, sometimes broken

Dorsal fins nearly separate

Green Sunfish

Lepomis cyanellus

Body more elongated than other Lepomis species

Laterally compressed but moderately heavy

Large head and mouth, smooth tongue

Dorsal surface usually olive-green

Iridescent blue-green spots or dashes

3-5 wavy blue-green lines below eye

Bluegill

Lepomis macrochirus

Body deep, small mouth

Long pectoral fins

Back and upper sides dark green

5-9 chain like vertical bars

Black operculum flap lacking white margin or red tip

Stoneroller Minnow

Campostoma anomalum

Body moderately stout

Brownish with rounded fins

Bluntly rounded snout and protrudes past sub-terminal mouth

White lips

Dark scales on back

Ring around dorsal fin

Blunt-nosed Minnow

Pimephales notatus

Body elongate, blunt snout, slightly sub-terminal mouth

From the top, scales are bigger at the posterior end and get smaller towards the anterior

Black spot at caudal fin

Lateral stripe extending to snout usually present

Striped Shiner

Luxilus chrysocephalus

Deep bodied, larger mouth, terminal

Large, coarse looking scales

Dusky striped running down both sides of the back, forming a series of V’s behind the dorsal fin

Silver (Jaw) Minnow

Notropis photogenis

Shiny silver lower jaws that protrude slightly beyond upper jaw

Body long and narrow, almost round in cross section

Dorsal fin origin only slightly behind pelvic fin origin

Dark stripe down center of back

Two crescent shaped markings between nostrils

Emerald Shiner

Notropis atherinoides

Body slender, laterally compressed, tall and thin cross section

Short, bluntly pointed snout ending in terminal mouth

Silvery with emerald-green cast on back and upper sides

Thin, faint mid-dorsal stripe

Fins transparent

Muskellunge

Esox mosquinogy

Large ambush predator

Dark bars on side

6-9 mandibular pores

Scales on upper half of cheek

Pointly forked tail

Northern Pike

Esox lucius

Scales on all of cheek

Bean shaped spots on side

Rounded forker tail

5-7 mandibular pores

Grass Pickerel

Esox americanus vermiculatus

Shorter snout

Black, curved tear drop below eye

Blotches/vertical line

Brown Trout

Salmo trutta

Body golden brown to silver

Dorsal fin may have white tip

Square tail with few/no spots

Dark spots with blue rings on sides

Lighter yellowish abdomen

Rainbow Trout

Oncorhyncus mykiss

Sides silvery with pinkish/red stripe

Numerous small dots

Emarginated tail with spots

Brook Trout

Salvelinus fontinalis

Greenish-brown

Wormlike markings across back

Square caudal fin

White and black leading edge on fins

Lake Trout

Salvenlinus namaycush

Blueish-green with light spots

Deeply forked tail

White leading edge on fins

Fins have spots

Chain Pickerel

Esox niger

Introduced, small

Dark, chain like patterns on green sides

Black vertical teardrop under eye