Ptychocheilus
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Ptychocheilus grandis |
The squawfish, or pikeminnows, are a genus Ptychocheilus of cyprinid fish, consisting of four species native to western North America.
Northern Pikeminnow The American Fisheries Society changed the name of the species from "squawfish" to "pikeminnow" to make the name less offensive, thus making this fish the Northern Pikeminnow. Pikeminnows are voracious predators. Because of this they are considered an "undesirable" species in many waters. This is largely due to the species' predatorial habits towards small trout and salmon.
The Colorado Squawfish (pikeminnow) is the largest member of the family, averaging 4 - 9 pounds in adult fish with occasional specimens up to 25 pounds. There are rare anecdotal reports of Colorado Squawfish reaching 6 feet in length. The species is endangered and is near extinction in its native Colorado River basin habitat, due to habitat alteration from the construction of dams, reservoirs, and irrigation canals.
[edit] References
- Ptychocheilus (TSN 163522). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 26 July 2006.
- "Ptychocheilus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. July 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
