Percopsis omiscomaycus
Trout-Perch
NS
G5
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Percopsiformes
Percopsidae (Trout-Perches)
Percopsis
Percopsis omiscomaycus (Trout-Perch)
Description
This species account was compiled from
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Characters
Body shape: elongated. Distinguished by the presence of an adipose fin; small weak spines in the dorsal and anal spines; rough ctenoid scales; and pectoral fins reaching well behind the bases of pelvic fins (Ref. 27547). Gill rakers short, stubby mounds with small teeth; lateral line nearly straight (Ref. 27547). Pale yellowish to silvery, often almost transparent; with a row of about 10 dark spots along midline of back, 10 or 11 spots along lateral line, and another row of spots high on sides above lateral line; fins transparent (Ref. 27547).
Distribution
North America: Atlantic and Arctic basins throughout most of Canada, and south to Potomac River drainage in Virginia, USA; Yukon River drainage in Yukon Territory and Alaska; Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins south to West Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, North Dakota and Montana in the USA.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. demersal. depth range 10-61 m. Found in: streams, lakes.
Biology
Occurs in lakes, deep flowing pools of creeks, and rivers (Ref. 5723). Usually found over sand (Ref. 5723). Moves into the shallows of lakes at night to feed and moves back to deeper water as dawn approaches (Ref. 1998). Feeds on insect larvae, amphipods and fishes (Ref. 1998). Important forage fish (Ref. 1998).
Max length: 20.0 cm TL; common length: 8.8 cm TL; max age: 4 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Spawning adults move inshore to shallow water or into shallow tributaries of lakes (Ref. 10348). Two or more males cluster with a single female near the surface. They press close to the female, often breaking the surface of the water, and eggs and milt are released (Ref. 27547). Some populations spawn exclusively at night (Ref. 10348), but others show no variation from daytime spawning (Ref. 10349). There is often, perhaps usually, heavy postspawning mortality (Ref. 27547).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-03-01. Resilience: Medium (tm=2-3; tmax=4).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
Scott, W.B. and E.J. Crossman (1973) Freshwater fishes of Canada. Bull. Fish. Res. Board Can. 184: xi+1-966.
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr (1991) A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p.
Balon, E.K. (1975) Reproductive guilds of fishes: a proposal and definition. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 32(6):821-864.
Morrow, J.E. (1980) The freshwater fishes of Alaska. University of. B.C. Animal Resources Ecology Library. 248p.
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