Ptychocheilus lucius
Colorado Pikeminnow
Federal:
Endangered; Experimental Population, Non-Essential
NS
G1
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Cypriniformes (Carps and Minnows)
Cyprinidae (Carps and Minnows)
Ptychocheilus
Ptychocheilus lucius (Colorado Pikeminnow)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: elongated. Scales very small with 76-97, usually 80-87 scales on lateral line and 18-23 scales above lateral line; dorsal fin usually with 9 rays; anal fin with 9 rays (Ref. 86798).
Distribution
North America: Colorado River drainage in USA (Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California) and Mexico. Now mostly restricted to Utah and Colorado; and extirpated from the southern portion of the range by the construction of large dams.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. demersal. Found in: streams.
Biology
Inhabits pools of medium to large rivers. Large individuals usually occur in deep, flowing rocky or sandy pools (Ref. 86798).
Max length: 180.0 cm TL; common length: 52.5 cm TL; max age: 12 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders.
IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable (VU), assessed 2012-04-11. Resilience: Low (tmax=12).
References
Riehl, R. and H.A. Baensch (1991) Aquarien Atlas. Band. 1. Melle: Mergus, Verlag für Natur-und Heimtierkunde, Germany. 992 p.
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.
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr (2011) A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 663p.
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