fish identification

What fish is this and how do you know

Sea lamprey (Ichthyomyzon castaneus)

• based on the circle mouth

• lack of scales

• long dorsal fin

What fish is this and how do you know

Shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus)

• 4 fringed barbels

• all barbels are equal length

• inferior mouth

• lack of scales

• scutes present

What fish is this and how do you know

Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus)

• fringed barbels

• middle barbels are shorter and outer 2 are longer

• longer snout than shovelnose

What fish is this and how do you know

lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens)

• smooth barbels

• more stout and shorter nose

what fish is this and how do you know

paddle fish (Polyodon spathula)

• large non teeth mouth

• large paddle protrusion

• heterocercal tail

What fish is this and how do you know

longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus)

• long mouth

• freckling on the side of the snout and tail fin

What fish is this and how do you know

shortnose gar (Lepisosteus platostomus)

• shorter mouth length

• no spots anywhere

What fish is this and how do you know

spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus)

• spots on top of the mouth

• short mouth

• rounded tail

What fish is this and how do you know

Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula)

• no spots

• larger in size

• broad short snout

• slightly subterminal jaw

What fish is this and how do you know

Emerald Bowfin (Amia ocellatus)

• rounded tail with eye spot

• large mouth with teeth

• long single dorsal fin

What fish is this and how do you know

American eel (Anguilla rostrata)

• ribbon body

• long anal and dorsal fins

• blunt head

What fish is this and how do you know

Grass pickerel (Esox americanus)

• speckled and stripped coloring

• dark line under the eye

What fish is this and how do you know

northern pike (Esox lucius)

• rows of oval color

• no bar under the eye

• long duck bill mouth

What fish is this and how do you know

muskellunge (Esox masquinongy)

• duck bill mouth

• solid olive color with slight vertical bars of coloring

What fish is this and how do you know

tiger muskie (Esox)

• distinct tiger bars present

• rounded features like a northern pike but muskie coloring

What fish is this and how do you know

smallmouth buffalo (ictiobus bubalus)

• inferior mouth

• lips with thick groves

• long dorsal fin starting big then immediately shrinking

What fish is this and how do you know

black buffalo (ictiobus niger)

• subterminal mouth

• thick lip groves

• big anterior dorsal fin and small posterior dorsal fin

• more fusiform and less hump like features

What fish is this and how do you know

river carpsucker (carpoides carpio)

• lips with a nipple on it

• more obtuse mouth

What fish is this and how do you know

blue sucker (Cycleptus elongatus)

• large lips with papillae

• large sharp point dorsal fin that tappers off

What fish is this and how do you know

silver carp (hypophthalmichthys molitrix)

• long keel from anal to isthmus

• terminal mouth

• small scales

• fused gill rakers

What fish is this and how do you know

bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis)

• keel goes from anal to pelvic fin

• terminal mouth

• dark blotches on the side

• non-fused gill rackers

What fish is this and how do you know

grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

• no keel

• large scales

• row teeth in the back

What fish is this and how do you know

black carp (Ctenopharyngodon piceus)

• no keel

• more human teeth in the throat

• terminal mouth

What fish is this and how do you know

goldfish (carassius auratus)

• no barbels

• seperated spiny projection on the dorsal and anal fin

• have a bit of a hump after the head

What fish is this and how do you know

common carp (cyprinus carpio)

• barbels present

• serrated spines on dorsal and anal fins

• subterminal mouths

What fish is this and how do you know

yellow perch (Perca flavescens)

• 2 dorsal fins

• vertical color bars

• black blotch are rear 1st dorsal fin

What fish is this and how do you know

walleye (sander vitreus)

• terminal mouth

• large black spot on anal fin

• white spot on bottom part of the tail

What fish is this and how do you know

sauger (Sander canadensis)

• terminal mouth

• spots on the dorsal fin

• 2 dorsal fins

What fish is this and how do you know

Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotus grunniens)

• terminal mouth

• steep head profile

• short 1st dorsal fin and a large 2nd dorsal fin

What fish is this

Threadfin Shad (Dorosoma Petenense)

• tellow caudal tail

• long rat of dorsal fin reaches the caudal peduncle

• 11-14 dorsal fin rays

What fish is this

Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum)

• black color tail

• shorter end ray

• 10-12 dorsal fin rays

What fish is this

Black Bullhead (Ameiurus melas)

• darm colors

• bar at the base of the tail

• dark color wiskers

What fish is this

Yellow Bullhead (Ameiurus Natalis)

• no bar at tail

• white wiskers on the underside

• rounded tail

• spins on pectoral fins

What fish is this

Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus)

• no bar at fin

• barbed spikes on fin

• dark color wiskers

What fish is this

Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus)

• forked tail

• small eyes

• adipose fin

• straight anal fin

What fish is this

Channel Catfish (Ictalururs punctatus)

• spotted when young

• big eyes

• forked tail

• rounded anal fin

What fish is this

Flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris)

• superior mouth

• flat head

• light brown color

  • more emarginate tail

What fish is this

Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)

• shallow body with olive color

• large mouth

• thing white, blue, and green on face

• 9-11 dorsal spines

What fish is this

Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

• thin body

• verticle color bands

• 10 dorsal spines

• small mouth

• black splotch on the fin

• pectoral fin reaches eye

What fish is this

Longear Sunfish (Lepomis megalotis)

• small body

• long ear

• 10 dorsal rays

• thick gill rakers

What fish is this

Redear Sunfish (Lepomis microlophus)

• red color by the ear

• 10 dorsal spines and 3 anal spines

• mostly soft uniform color fins

What fish is this

White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis)

• thing and compressed

• 6-7 verticle black stripes

• pads of teeth on the jaw

• 5-6 dorsal spines

What fish is this

Black Crappie (pomoxis nigromaculatus)

• compressend with silvery color

• 7-8 dorsal spines

• black blotches all over the body

What fish is this

Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmodies)

• large mouth goes past the eye

• both dorsal fins are connected

What fish is this

White perch (Morone americana)

• silvery body

• terminal mouth with a no-teeth patch on tongue

• 1 anal spine

• slightly connected dorsal fins

What fish is this

Striped bass (Morone saxatilis)

• teeth patches on tongue

• longe horizontasl bars that dont break up

• 2 anal spin is shorter than the 1st and 3rd

What fish is this

white bass (Morone chrysops)

• intermediates 2nd spine on anal fin

• horizonal bars of black on body with multiple breakage

What fish is this

Yellow Bass (Morone mississippiensis)

• horizontal black bars with breakage only at the bottom

• 2nd anal spine is the same size as the 3rd

• no tooth patch on the tongue

What is the family for Shads and what fish are in the family

Clupeidae

• threadfin shad

• gizzard shad

What is the Family for catfish and madtoms and what fish are in the family

Ictaluridae

• black bullhead

• yellow bullhead

• brown bullhead

• blue catfish

• channel catfish

• flathead catfish

What is the family for Carps and Barbs and what fish are in the family

Cyprinidae

• goldfish

• common carp

What is the family for sunfishes and blackbasses and what fish are in the family

Centrarchidae

• green sunfish

• bluegill

• longear sunfish

• redear sunfish

• white crappie

• black crappie

• largemouth bass

What is the family of the temperate basses and what fish are in the family

Moronidae

• yellow bass

• white bass

• striped bass

• white perch

What is the family for Lampreys and what fish are in the family

petromyzontidae

-sea lamprey

What is the family for Sturgeons and what fish are in the family

Acipenseridae

• shovelnose sturgeon

• pallid sturgeon

• lake sturgeon

What is the family for paddle fish and what fish are in the family

Polydontidae

• paddlefish

What is the family for gars and what fish are in the family

Lepisosteidae

• longnose gar

• shortnose gar

• spotted gar

• alligator gar

What is the family for bowfins and what fish are in the family

Amiidae

-emerald bowfin

What is the family for eels and what fish are in the family

Anguillidae

• American eel

What is the family for Pikes and mudminnows and what fish are in the family

Esocidae

• northern pike

• green Pickeral

• muskie

• tiger muskie

What is the family for Suckers and Buffalo fish and what fish are in the family

Catostomidae

• smallmouth buffalo

• black buffalo

• blue sucker

• river carpsucker

What is the family of Sharpbellie carp and what fish are in the family

Xenocyprididae

• silver carp

• bigheaded carp

• grass carp

• black carp

What is the family for the true perchs and walleyes and what fish are in the family

Percidae

• yellow perch

• walleye

• sauger

What is the family for Drums and what fish are in the family

Scianenidae

• freshwater drum