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Home/Species/ Redfin Pickerel

Esox americanus

Gmelin, 1789

Redfin Pickerel

G5Secure Found in 6 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103671
Element CodeAFCHD01010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderEsociformes
FamilyEsocidae
GenusEsox
COSEWICPS:SC,NAR
Other Common Names
Brochet d'Amérique (FR) Grass Pickerel (EN)
Concept Reference
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Subspecies vermiculatus formerly was regarded as a distinct species (Lee et al. 1980, Nelson 1984).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2011-12-01
Change Date1996-09-13
Edition Date2011-12-01
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent200,000 to >2,500,000 square km (about 80,000 to >1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Range Extent Comments
Native range encompasses the Atlantic Slope from the St. Lawrence River drainage, Quebec, to Lake Okeechobee, Florida; Gulf drainages west to the Brazos River, Texas; Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins north to Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan, and southern Ontario; absent in Appalachian uplands (Lee et al. 1980, Page and Burr 2011). The species has been introduced in various localities in the western United States (e.g., Washington, California, Colorado) and eastern United States.

Subspecies americanus: Atlantic Slope drainages south to southern Georgia. Subspecies vermiculatus: remainder of range, with intergradation in most of Florida and in Gulf Slope drainages west to the Pascagoula River.
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a very large number of occurrences (subpopulations) (e.g., see map in Lee et al. 1980).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Habitat includes small, quiet, heavily vegetated waters: pools and backwaters of streams, canals, ponds, and bays of small lakes; this fish more often occurs in streams than in lakes. Eggs sink and stick to bottom and vegetation. Adults may move upstream to spawn in flooded stream margins or marshes where vegetation is abundant (Scott and Crossman 1973).

Ecology

Not territorial (Lee et al. 1980).

Reproduction

Spawns mainly in spring but also sometimes in fall. Eggs hatch in about 11-15 days. Sexually mature by age 2.
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLAND
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN3
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS3Yes
QuebecSNRYes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
FloridaS5Yes
GeorgiaS4Yes
MaineSNRYes
MassachusettsS5Yes
Rhode IslandS5Yes
TexasS3Yes
New YorkS4Yes
LouisianaS5Yes
North CarolinaS5Yes
AlabamaS5Yes
NebraskaSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS4Yes
ColoradoSNANo
TennesseeS5Yes
WashingtonSNANo
IllinoisS5Yes
New JerseyS5Yes
New HampshireS4Yes
MarylandS5Yes
IndianaS5Yes
MississippiS5Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
AlaskaSNRYes
VirginiaS4Yes
ConnecticutS4Yes
West VirginiaS4Yes
WisconsinS4Yes
MissouriSNRYes
VermontS4Yes
ArkansasS4Yes
MichiganS4Yes
DelawareS5Yes
South CarolinaS5Yes
IowaS3Yes
OhioS5Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

—

Roadless Areas (6)
Florida (2)
AreaForestAcres
Clear LakeApalachicola National Forest5,592
Impassable BayOsceola National Forest2,789
North Carolina (4)
AreaForestAcres
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
Catfish Lake South - ACroatan National Forest217
Catfish Lake South - BCroatan National Forest172
Pond Pine BCroatan National Forest2,961
References (47)
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