Redfin Pickerel

Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical

Esox americanus americanus is a common species with a wide geographic range. It is not threatened or endangered.

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

It can be fun to fish for Esox americanus americanus, but because they do not grow very large, they are not popular as a sport fish. The meat from these fish is white, flaky, and sweet, but bony (Florida Fish and Wildlife, 2000).

E. americanus americanus is a predator that as an adult feeds on large insect larvae, crayfishes and other fishes. This fish does not move a great deal to hunt for food. Instead it camouflages itself and waits for unsuspecting prey. When it has the prey located, it will dart out of hiding quickly, grasp the prey and swallow it head first (Mettee, et al., 1990). Newly hatched larvae feed on larvae of later spawning species.

Animal Foods: fish; insects; aquatic crustaceans

Primary Diet: carnivore (Piscivore , Insectivore , Eats non-insect arthropods)

Esox americanus americanus is found throughout many large river drainages from the Midwest to the Atlantic coast of North America, and from southern Canada to the southern United States. Some of the large Rivers this species is found in are the Mississippi, Ohio, Brazos, and Tennessee Rivers. An Atlantic coast form of the species is found from New York to Georgia and in eastern drainages. Another group, which are intergrades of the two subspecies, are found in the Gulf Coast Drainages in Alabama, Florida and southwestern Georgia.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

This species is most often found in clear lakes and slow to moderate running streams, but can also be found in overflow pools and marshes. Their habitat includes dense aquatic vegetation and bottoms with organic matter. The preferred temperature of this fish is 26° C. The highest population densities are found in shallow weedy areas with lots of vegetation including leafy liverworts, water lilies, filamentous algae, pondweeds, and cattails (Wallus, et al., 1990).

Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams

This fish is an esocid. It has fully scaled cheeks and gill covers, and the top of the head has few or no scales. A darkened backward slanting vertical bar is present beneath the eyes. The dorsal side is dark green to brown, and the ventral side is cream or yellow. The color patterns on the lateral sides is variable, from a green and white brick wall pattern to forward slanting vertical bars (Mettee, et al., 1996). E. americanus americanus can occasionally grow longer than 12 inches (Florida Fish and Wildlife, 2000).

Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike

Known Predators:

• bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

There are two subspecies of E. americanus americanus. They are E. americanus americanus, commonly known as the redfin pickerel, and E. americanus vermiculatus, known better as the grass pickerel. These subspecies are very similar and do breed together where their ranges overlap. Redfin pickerel live to six years, and grass pickerel live to seven years (Mettee, 1996).

Depending on the location of the fish, spawning will take place anywhere from late February to early May, with fish in warmer climates spawning earlier than those in colder climates. E. americanus americanus is one of the earliest spawning fishes in the spring. To spawn, the fish migrate from large rivers and lakes into small streams. Spawning temperature has been estimated at anywhere from 4°C to 18.3°C (Wallus, et al., 1990).

The act of spawning occurs with one female and several males. Eggs and milt are ejected by sudden lashings of the caudal fin. Eggs are broadcast over aquatic vegetation, moss, leaves, twigs, and in temporary floodplains, marshes and shallow pools (Wallus et al., 1990). The incubation period of the eggs lasts from 11 to 15 days, longer incubation is needed for eggs to mature in colder water.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; sexual ; oviparous

Body robust, long, cylindrical, cross-section almost circular with flattened to slightly concave dorsal surface. Head large, flat, naked on top. Snout short, broad spatulate, dorsal surface between raised orbits and tip of snout slightly convex. Mouth large, horizontal, reaching at least to middle of pupil or suborbital bar. Teeth moderately large, those in front of upper jaw and several along each side of ramus a little enlarged; cheek and opercle fully scaled. Gill rakers are reduced to patches of sharp denticles. Branchiostegal rays: 19-31. Cardioid scales between pelvic fins 6-32, intergrades 0-26; notched scales in a line between dorsal and anal fin origins 7-25, intergrades 1-22. Submandibular pores 3:2 to 6:5, usually 4:4.Pigmentation: Olivaceous to black above; belly pale amber to white, sometimes mottled wit dark; mid-dorsal band from nape to dorsal fin origin inconspicuous and pale. Sides with 20-36 olive to black wavy vertical bars separated by paler extensions of what had been lateral band in young, pale area between adjacent bars narrower. Suborbital and preorbital black bars pronounced, suborbital curved back ventrally, postorbital horizontal; lateral edges of jaws heavily pigmented. Pupil yellow to yellow green, iris gold. Dorsal fin darkly pigmented, others orange to red.

Spawning takes place in flood plains, grassy banks, sloughs, ditches and overflow ponds in areas of heavy vegetation, sometimes in water less than 30.5 cm deep (Ref. 39088).

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13 - 21; Analspines: 0; Analsoft rays: 13 - 18; Vertebrae: 42 - 51

Live in lakes, swamps, and backwaters, and sluggish pools of streams. Occur usually among vegetation in clear water (Ref. 5723, 10294). Also found in brush piles, overhanging brush or rocks and boulders in areas lacking vegetation. Rarely occur in rivers (Ref. 4639). In winter, they are found associated with dead leaf litter (Ref. 39089). Juveniles are found in flood pools and rivulets among exposed roots, twigs, leaves, and grass in 7.6-10.2 cm of water (Ref. 39088). Larvae are sometimes found in very shallow water in roadside ditches, also in dead leaf litter (Ref. 39089). Juveniles feed on invertebrates, while adults consume sunfish, darters, and minnows (Ref. 10294).

Live in lakes, swamps, and backwaters, and sluggish pools of streams. Usually occur among vegetation in clear water (Ref. 86798). Also found in brush piles, overhanging brush or rocks and boulders in areas lacking vegetation. Rarely occur in rivers (Ref. 4639). In winter, they are found associated with dead leaf litter (Ref. 39089). Juveniles are found in flood pools and rivulets among exposed roots, twigs, leaves, and grass in 7.6-10.2 cm of water (Ref. 39088). Larvae are sometimes found in very shallow water in roadside ditches, also in dead leaf litter (Ref. 39089). Oviparous (Ref. 205).

fisheries: of no interest; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums

The American pickerels are two subspecies of Esox americanus, a medium-sized species of North American freshwater predatory fish belonging to the pike family (genus Esox in family Esocidae of order Esociformes):

Redfin pickerel, sometimes called the brook pickerel, E. americanus americanus Gmelin, 1789; Grass pickerel, E. americanus vermiculatus Lesueur, 1846.

Lesueur originally classified the grass pickerel as E. vermiculatus, but it is now considered a subspecies of E. americanus.

There is no widely accepted English common collective name for the two E. americanus subspecies; "American pickerel" is a translation of the French systematic name brochet d'Amérique.