Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Northern Pikeminnow

Ptychocheilus oregonensis

(Richardson, 1836)

Northern Pikeminnow

G5Secure Found in 24 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104253
Element CodeAFCJB35030
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderCypriniformes
FamilyLeuciscidae
GenusPtychocheilus
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
See Carney and Page (1990) for a diagnosis and information on meristic variation. See Mayden et al. (1991) for a morphometric phylogenetic analysis of the genera Mylopharodon and Ptychocheilus (no taxonomic changes were proposed).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-02-09
Change Date1996-09-17
Range Extent Comments
Pacific drainages from Nass River, British Columbia, to Columbia River drainage of northern Nevada, east to western Montana; Harney River basin, eastern Oregon; Peace River system (Arctic basin), British Columbia and Alberta, east of the Continental Divide; common, locally abundant (Scott and Crossman 1973, Lee et al. 1980, Page and Burr 1991).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of subpopulations and locations.
Threat Impact Comments
Localized threats may exist, but on a range-wide scale no major threats are known.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

Generally 21-30 cm SL; may reach length of 63 cm and mass of 13 kg.

Habitat

Small to large rivers, lakes. Prefers still or slow moving waters. In lakes, adults usually found offshore; young occur in inshore waters during summer but move to deeper offshore waters during fall. Spawns in gravelly shallows. May spawn along lake shores or in gravelly sections of streams. Does not build a nest. Broadcasts eggs over rocks (Johnston and Page 1992).

Ecology

Life span estimated at 15-20 years (Scott and Crossman 1973).

Reproduction

Male squawfish first reach sexual maturity at age 3, females at age 4. Spawning occurs May-July. Each female produces 6700-83000 eggs. Eggs hatch in one week at 65 F; young are free-swimming in 14 days (Wydoski and Whitney 1979). Congregates in groups of up to 8000 individuals (Johnston and Page 1992).
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
AlbertaS2Yes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
IdahoS5Yes
OregonS4Yes
MontanaS3Yes
NevadaSNRYes
WashingtonS5Yes
Roadless Areas (24)
Idaho (4)
AreaForestAcres
Bighorn - WeitasNez Perce-Clearwater National Forest254,845
Lemhi RangeSalmon-Challis National Forest308,533
NeedlesPayette National Forest131,279
SeceshPayette National Forest248,088
Montana (11)
AreaForestAcres
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLewis and Clark National Forest344,022
Bmss Ra 1485Flathead National Forest334,275
Buckhorn Ridge (MT)Kootenai National Forest34,716
Marble PointLolo National Forest12,581
Middle Fork Judith WsaLewis and Clark National Forest81,131
North SiegelLolo National Forest9,208
Patricks Knob - North CutoffLolo National Forest16,970
Selway - Bitterroot (01067)Bitterroot National Forest114,953
Sheep Mountain - StatelineLolo National Forest37,844
South Siegel - South CutoffLolo National Forest13,474
West Big HoleBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest133,563
Oregon (4)
AreaForestAcres
HellholeUmatilla National Forest65,679
Myrtle SilviesMalheur National Forest11,679
North PaulinaDeschutes National Forest19,670
South PaulinaDeschutes National Forest9,074
Washington (5)
AreaForestAcres
Nason RidgeWenatchee National Forest19,329
Rock CreekWenatchee National Forest32,239
Slide RidgeWenatchee National Forest11,430
Thorp Mtn.Wenatchee National Forest22,717
Twin LakesWenatchee National Forest22,496
References (18)
  1. Brown, C. J. D. 1971. Fishes of Montana. Big Sky Books, the Endowment and Research Foundation, Montana State University, Bozeman. MT. 207 pp.
  2. Carney, D. A., and L. M. Page. 1990. Meristic characteristics and zoogeography of the genus <i>Ptychocheilus</i> (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Copeia 1990:171-181.
  3. Holton, G. D., and H. E. Johnson. 1996. A field guide to Montana fishes. 2nd edition. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Montana State Parks and wildlife Interpretive Association, Helena, Montana. 104 pp.
  4. Johnston, C. E., and L. M. Page. 1992. The evolution of complex reproductive strategies in North American minnows (Cyprinidae). Pages 600-621 in R. L. Mayden, editor. Systematics, historical ecology, and North American freshwater fishes. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. xxvi + 969 pp.
  5. Lee, D. S., C. R. Gilbert, C. H. Hocutt, R. E. Jenkins, D. E. McAllister, and J. R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina. i-x + 854 pp.
  6. Master, L. L. 1996. Synoptic national assessment of comparative risks to biological diversity and landscape types: species distributions. Summary Progress Report submitted to Environmental Protection Agency. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia. 60 pp.
  7. Master, L. L. and A. L. Stock. 1998. Synoptic national assessment of comparative risks to biological diversity and landscape types: species distributions. Summary Report submitted to Environmental Protection Agency. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA. 36 pp.
  8. Mayden, R. L., W. J. Rainboth, and D. G. Buth. 1991. Phylogenetic systematics of the cyprinid genera <i>Mylopharodon</i> and <i>Ptychocheilus</i>: comparative morphometry. Copeia 1991:819-834.
  9. Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. 386 pp.
  10. Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes: North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 432 pp.
  11. Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 2011. Peterson field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. xix + 663 pp.
  12. Page, L. M., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, R. L. Mayden, and J. S. Nelson. 2013. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seventh edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 34, Bethesda, Maryland.
  13. Page, L. M., K. E. Bemis, T. E. Dowling, H.S. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, K. E. Hartel, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, M. A. Neigbors, J. J. Schmitter-Soto, and H. J. Walker, Jr. 2023. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Eighth edition. American Fisheries Society (AFS), Special Publication 37, Bethesda, Maryland, 439 pp.
  14. 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.
  15. Scott, W. B., and E. J. Crossman. 1973. Freshwater fishes of Canada. Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Bulletin 184. 966 pp.
  16. Simpson, J. and R. Wallace. 1982. Fishes of Idaho. The University Press of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. 238 pp.
  17. Wallace, Richard L. (Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. March 2000.
  18. Wydoski, R. S., and R. R. Whitney. 1979. Inland fishes of Washington. The University of Washington Press, Seattle. 220 pp.