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Coregonus artedi Lesueur, 1818
Cisco
Family: Salmonidae

Photograph

© Public Domain     (Photo ID #16407)

Map


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Source: Distribution map provided by Don McPhail for E-Fauna BC

Species Information

This species has more than 40 gill rakers and a terminal mouth. When the mouth is closed, the tip of the lower jaw projects slightly beyond the tip of the upper jaw. The tips of the pelvic fins are dark in the BC population. For further information see McPhail (2008).

Source: McPail, J. D. 2008. The Freshwater Fishes of British Columbia. University of Alberta Press, Edmonton.

Biology

Species Biology

Inhabits open waters of lakes and large rivers; also coastal waters of Hudson Bay (Ref. 9988). Nerito-pelagic, feeds on plankton and large crustaceans.

Source: FishBase. Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr 1991 A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.

Distribution

BC Distribution and Notes

Although the cisco is widespread across the northern Great Plains, only one population is known from B.C. (Maxhamish Lake). This lake, and its fishes, has been studied and the cisco population appears to be healthy.

Source: Information provided by Don McPhail for E-Fauna BC.
Global Distribution

North America: widely distributed in Canada and northern USA in St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Arctic, and upper Mississippi River basins from Quebec to Northwest Territories and Alberta and south to northern Ohio, Illinois and Minnesota. Rare in Great Lakes. Said to be conspecific with Coregonus autumnalis and Coregonus autumnalis pollan based on electrophoresis studies. Belongs to Coregonus artedi complex.

Source: FishBase. Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr 1991 A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
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Status Information

Origin StatusProvincial StatusBC List
(Red Blue List)
COSEWIC
NativeS2RedNot Listed



BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Additional Range and Status Information Links