Smelt Family, OSMERIDAE

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Smelt Family, OSMERIDAE

• Small silvery fishes with adipose fins and teeth
  in the jaws
• No axillary process
• Associated with coastal regions, may be marine,
  freshwater, anadromous, or estuarine

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Delta Smelt(DSM)Hypomesus transpacificus

• Native
• Small mouth, maxillary does not extend past
  middle of eye
• 0-1 chromatophores on isthmus
• Pectoral rays 10 - 12
• Smells like a cucumber
• Larvae center of adipose anterior to center of
  anal fin

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Wakasagi(WAG)Hypomesus nipponensis

• Introduced
• Similar to Delta Smelt
• 5 or more chromatophores on isthmus, usually 10 -
  60
• May smell like a cucumber

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Longfin Smelt(LFS)Spirinchus thaleichthys

• Native
• Maxilla extends beyond middle of eye
• Pectoral fin extends 83 - 128 of distance to
  pelvic fin origin
• Black pigmentation on fins
• Larvae center of adipose posterior to center of
  anal fin

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Surf Smelt(SSM)Hypretiosus pretiosus

• Native
• Maxillary does not extend beyond middle of eye
• Longest anal ray into head length more than 2.5
  times
• Sides silver with purplish hue, back light green
• Pectoral rays 14 - 17

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Wakasagi
Delta Smelt
Juveniles

• WAG has less pigmentation
• at the base of the caudal fin

• DSM has a lt pattern or
• nearly so on the anterior
• dorsal portion of the caudal fin

• WAG generally has a
• more superior mouth

• WAG has larger eye which is
• closer to the top of the head

• WAG usually have 5 or more chromatophores
• on isthmus, but may have less
• DSM have 0 to 1 chromatophore on isthmus

Isthmus
Isthmus
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Delta smelt vs. Wakasagi
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Delta smelt vs. Wakasagi
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Delta smelt vs. Wakasagi
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Larval Delta vs. Longfin smelt
Delta smelt
Longfin smelt
Gas Bladder Morphology
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Delta smelt, Wakasagi Longfin smelt
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Minnow Family, CYPRINIDAE

• Most abundant and widely distributed group of
  freshwater fishes in the world
• No teeth in the mouth, however pharyngeal teeth
  are well developed
• Abdominal pelvic fins
• True spines are absent from the fins

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Minnows of the Central Valley
Carp Goldfish Golden shiner Hitch Hardhead Sa
c. Pikeminnow Sac. splittail Sac.
Blackfish Red shiner Fathead minnow
barbels
no barbels
serrated spine on dorsal fin
7 - 9 dorsal rays
10 - 13 dorsal rays
? 10 anal rays
frenum
maxilla extends to mid-eye
upper lobe of tail longer than lower
? 90 lateral line scales
? 40 lateral line scales
? 40 lateral line scales, anterior scales crowded
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Carp(C)Cyprinus carpio

• Introduced
• Deep bodied
• Barbels on posterior edge of upper jaw
• Serrated spine on leading edges of dorsal and
  anal fin
• 32 - 39 LL scales

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Goldfish(GF)Carassius auratus

• Introduced
• No barbels
• Deep bodied
• Serrated spine on leading edges of dorsal and
  anal fins
• 28 - 30 LL scales

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Mirror Carp vs Common Carp
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Golden Shiner (GSN)Notemigonus crysoleucas

• Introduced
• Deeply compressed body
• Upward turned mouth
• Lateral line curves downward from the head
• Sharp keel on belly between pelvic and anal fins
  not obvious in fish lt 40mm FL
• 44 - 54 LL scales

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Hitch (HCH)Lavinia exilicauda

• Native
• Lacks sharp keel on belly
• Narrower caudal peduncle than golden shiner
• 10 to 13 dorsal fin rays
• 54 - 62 LL scales
• Terminal mouth

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Hardhead (HH)Mylopharodon conocephalus

• Native
• Cone shaped head
• Premaxillary frenum
• 69 - 81 LL scales

Frenum
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Sacramento Pikeminnow(SAPM)Ptychocheilus grandis

• Native
• Elongate body
• Flat tapered head
• Maxilla extends past middle of eye in adults
• 73 - 86 LL scales

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Splittail(SPLT)Pogonichthys macrolepidotus

• Native
• Upper caudal lobe longer than lower lobe
• Small barbel usually present at posterior edge of
  jaw in adults
• 57 - 64 LL scales

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Sacramento Blackfish(SCB)Orthodon microlepidotus

• Native
• Rounded, elongate body
• Wide, flat, sloping forehead
• Small eye in adults
• 90 - 105 LL scales

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Red Shiner(RSN)Cyprinella lutrensis

• Introduced
• Insertion of dorsal fin posterior to insertion of
  pelvic fins
• Deeply compressed body
• Terminal, oblique mouth
• 33 - 36 LL scales

Photos Rene Reyes
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Fathead Minnow(FHM)Pimephales promelas

• Introduced
• Insertion of dorsal fin usually anterior to
  insertion of pelvic fins
• Scales behind head more tightly spaced than
  scales on rest of body
• Blunt head
• 44 - 48 LL scales

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California Roach(CAR)Livinia symmetricus

• Native
• Eyes and head are relatively large
• Mouth is small and slanted downward
• Dark on upper half and silvery below
• 47 - 63 LL scales

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Thicktail ChubGila crassicaudaThought to be
extinct

• Native
• Heavy - bodied
• Short, deep and thick caudal peduncle
• Small, cone - shaped head
• 49 - 60 LL scales

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Sucker Family, CATOSTOMIDAE

• Mostly bottom browsers, feeding on small
  invertebrates, algae, and detritus with fleshy,
  protrusible lips
• Closely related to minnows
• 3 types 1. plankton feeders with terminal
  mouths 2. mountain suckers 3. typical suckers

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Sacramento Sucker(SASU)Catostomus occidentalis

• Native
• Subterminal mouth with large fleshy lips
• Upper lip has 5 - 6 rows of papillae
• 1 row of papillae runs completely across deeply
  cleft lower lip

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Catfish Family, ICTALURIDAE

• Native east of the Rocky Mountains except the
  Yaqui catfish
• No scales
• 8 barbels 2 on the snout, 2 on the end of the
  maxillae, and 4 on the chin
• Adipose fin
• Hundreds of tiny teeth on roof of the mouth

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Catfishes of the Central Valley
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White Catfish(WHC)Ictalurus catus

• Introduced
• Moderately forked tail
• Chin barbels usually white
• Large, wide head
• Usually has no dark spots on sides

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Channel Catfish(CHC)Ictalurus punctatus

• Introduced
• Chin barbels usually dark
• Deeply forked tail
• Narrow head
• Dark spots usually found on body

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Blue Catfish(BLC)Ictalurus furcatus

• Introduced
• Chin barbels usually white
• Forked tail
• No dark spots on body

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Black Bullhead(BKB)Ictalurus melas

• Introduced
• Squared caudal fin
• Chin barbels darkly pigmented
• Dark anal fin membrane
• Body not mottled

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Brown Bullhead(BRB)Ictalurus nebulosus

• Introduced
• Squared caudal fin
• Chin barbels dark except for a light portion
  adjacent to chin
• Membranes between anal fin rays the same color or
  lighter than rays
• Body occasionally mottled

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Yellow Bullhead(YEB)Ictalurus natalis

• Introduced
• Slightly rounded caudal fin
• White or light colored chin barbels
• Olive green to light yellow on back
• Body not mottled

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Photos Rene Reyes
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Killifish Family, CYPRINODONTIDAE

• Surface-oriented, with upturned mouths, large
  eyes, flattened heads, and dorsal fins placed far
  back on the body
• Small teeth in the jaws
• Pelvic fins are reduced or absent

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Rainwater Killifish(RFK)Lucania parva

• Introduced
• Rounded dorsal and caudal fins
• Small pelvic fins
• Origin of dorsal fin anterior to origin of anal
  fin
• Large scales

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Livebearer Family, POECILIIDAE

• Differ from the killifishes in their method of
  reproduction (viviparity) and in the structures
  associated with reproduction (gonopodium male
  copulatory organ)
• Do not need special substrates for spawning
• Broad tolerance for extremes in temperature,
  salinity, and dissolved oxygen

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Mosquitofish(MQF)Gambusia affinis

• Introduced
• Rounded caudal fin
• Small pelvic fins
• Origin of dorsal fin is posterior to origin of
  anal fin
• Sexually dimorphic