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Home/Species/ Gizzard Shad

Dorosoma cepedianum

(Lesueur, 1818)

Gizzard Shad

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104453
Element CodeAFCFA02010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderClupeiformes
FamilyDorosomatidae
GenusDorosoma
Other Common Names
Alose à gésier (FR)
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.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-02-09
Change Date1996-09-09
Edition Date2011-11-28
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Range Extent Comments
Range includes St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Mississippi River, Atlantic, and Gulf drainages from Quebec to North Dakota and New Mexico, south to southern Florida and Mexico; introduced outside native range (Page and Burr 2011).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Habitat includes medium to large rivers, reservoirs, lakes, swamps, bays, sloughs, and similar quiet open waters, from clear to very silty; this is an open water species; it often ascends creeks and small rivers that have well-developed pools; it commonly enters brackish water (Page and Burr 2011). Juveniles occur in quiet surface waters, adults in deeper water or near bottom (Sublette et al. 1990). Spawning occurs in shallow water usually over sandy/rocky substrates; eggs are scattered, adhere to objects (Sublette et al. 1990). This fish may ascend smaller streams or ditches to spawn. It has spawned in 1 meter of water over a sandy-rocky bar in Lake Erie (Becker 1983).

Ecology

Travels in schools. Important source of food for piscivorous fishes and for certain waterfowl (e.g., mergansers) (Sublette et al. 1990).

Reproduction

Spawns at night, spring to summer. Eggs hatch in about 2-4 days. Sexually mature usually in 2-3 years. Life span generally about 4-6 years; few survive beyond age III (Sublette et al. 1990).
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
South DakotaS5Yes
TexasS5Yes
North CarolinaS5Yes
MassachusettsS4Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
UtahSNANo
West VirginiaS5Yes
AlabamaS5Yes
MissouriSNRYes
KansasS5Yes
ColoradoSNANo
New JerseyS4Yes
ArkansasS4Yes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
VermontSNANo
TennesseeS5Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
WyomingS5Yes
GeorgiaS5Yes
ConnecticutSNANo
IowaS5Yes
Navajo NationSNANo
NebraskaS5Yes
VirginiaS4Yes
IndianaS5Yes
New MexicoS4Yes
District of ColumbiaS5Yes
WisconsinS5Yes
ArizonaSNANo
LouisianaS5Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
OhioS5Yes
MarylandS5Yes
FloridaS5Yes
MississippiS5Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
North DakotaSNRYes
MichiganS5Yes
New YorkS3Yes
IllinoisS5Yes
DelawareS5Yes
South CarolinaS5Yes
CanadaN4
ProvinceRankNative
QuebecS3Yes
OntarioS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

—

Roadless Areas (2)
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Mississippi (1)
AreaForestAcres
Sandy Creek Rare Ii AreaHomochitto National Forest2,620
References (50)
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  3. Boschung, H. T., and R. L. Mayden. 2004. Fishes of Alabama. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 960 pp.
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