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Prosopium coulterii (Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1892)
Pygmy Whitefish
Family: Salmonidae

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Map


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

Species Information

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10 - 13; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 10 - 14; Vertebrae: 49 - 55. Body elongate, almost cylindrical. Head elongate, its length slightly greater than body depth; eye relatively large, its diameter greater than snout length; snout bluntly rounded, overhanging mouth, not obviously pointed, a single flap of skin present between nostrils. Nuptial tubercles developed in both males and females, but more conspicuous in males, and occur on top of head, on scales on back and sides, and on paired fins. Body is brownish above, silvery on sides and white below. Dorsal, caudal, and pectoral fins usually clear, anal and pelvic whitish and immaculate, a faint dark spot sometimes present on base of caudal fin. A series of 12 - 14 similar spots present along the midline of the back, and 7 - 14 dark, round or oval parr marks with diffuse borders present along the lateral line of young and sub adults, although some Alaskan forms retain parr marks even on largest fish.

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. 432 p.

Biology

Species Biology

Inhabits lakes and rivers of mountainous areas (Ref. 1998). Feeds mainly on crustaceans and aquatic insect larvae (Ref. 1998). Minimum depth reported from Ref. 1998.

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. 432 p.

Distribution

BC Distribution and Notes

The pygmy whitefish is usually characterized as a glacial relict. Typically it occurs in deep oligitrophic lakes and most B.C. populations fit this description; however, two B.C. populations occur in eutrophic lakes and grow to a giant size (for pygmies). A third B.C. population occurs in a shallow (max. depth 25 m) mesotrophic lake with a depauperate fauna (originally only three fish species). In this lake, pygmy whitefish are very abundant and show some unusual behaviour (e.g., schooling, nocturnal use of the littoral zone). It is an enigmatic species and we should learn more about its biology.

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

North America: three disjunct areas: Lake Superior in Ontario, Canada and Michigan, USA; Yukon River drainage in Yukon, Canada to Columbia River drainage in western Montana and Washington, USA; and Chignik, Naknek and Wood River drainages in southwest Alaska. Former USSR: Russia (Ref. 26334).

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. 432 p.
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Status Information

Origin StatusProvincial StatusBC List
(Red Blue List)
COSEWIC
NativeS4YellowNAR (Nov 2016)



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

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