Name:
Prosopium Coulteri - Pygmy Whitefish
Family: Salmonidae (Trout and Salmon)
Order: Salmoniformes (Salmon/Trout/Pike)
Class: Osteichthyes (Bony Fishes)
Abundance: Patchy
Origin:
Native
Active Season: Year Round
Size:
-
average: 5 inches
-
largest: 8 inches
Colors: white-gray (upperside, underside, dorsal fin),
General Description: Pygmy whitefish are a small whitefish that is native to deep, cold lakes. They are seldom caught and seen because they live in deep water and spend nearly their entire lives feeding on zooplankton. These fish are white or silvery, have large scales, and a blunt snout.
Similar Species:
The best way to tell two small whitefishes apart is the presence of a large eye on a small whitefish.
Life History:
Pygmy whitefish generally spawn in the winter (November-December) short distances up small tributary streams from lakes. The rest of the life cycle is spent in lakes.
Distribution: Pygmy whitefish have a patchy distribution throughout their native range, which spans northern North America. In Montana, pygmy whitefish are generally restricted to deep lakes in the Flathead region, with two other populations in the upper Clark Fork River drainage and the Kootenai River drainage.
Habitat Description: Cold, deep lakes.
Feeding Habits: Pygmy whitefish feed primarily on zooplankton, particularly daphnia.
Did You Know:
Pygmy whitefish have a patchy distribution across their range which is a result of the habitats they were left with when the pleistocene glaciers receded for the last time. Where deep, clear lakes, like Flathead Lake were left behind by glaciers, pygmy whitefish found a home. They can be found in Lake Superior, the upper Columbia River drainage, Yukon River Drainage, as well as some lakes in southeast Alaska.
Glossary:
- Piscivorous:
A fish that eats other fishes.
Contributor:
Matthew Corsi
ECOS is supported by the GK-12 Program of the National Science Foundation.