American pickerel
Rotflossenhecht (E. a americanus)
The American pike (Esox americanus ) is a Hechtart, which occurs in two subspecies in the eastern and central North America. The Rotflossenhecht (E. a americanus) living in the basin of the St. Lawrence River and in the eastern United States to Georgia and Florida. The second subspecies, the grass pike (E. vermiculatus a ) occurs in the Great Lakes, in southern Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nebraska, and in the basin of the Mississippi. In the south on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the area of distribution of the two subspecies by the Pascagoula River in Mississippi is disconnected. The Rotflossenhecht lives east of it, while the grass pike of the Pascagoula River is spread west to the Brazos River in Texas.
Features
The American pike is usually at a length of less than 40 cm. The body is slender, cylindrical in cross-section and almost round. The large head is unbeschuppt and flattened on its upper side, the pike relatively short snout is shovel-shaped, wide and has a slightly concave top. The mouth is nearly horizontal, the lower jaw is facing. The teeth in the front part of the mandible, and some of the sides are increased. The sides of the head and the gill covers are fully beschuppt. The gill rakers are reduced to small sharp teeth.
- Fins formula: Dorsal 13-21, 13-18 Anal.
American pike are on their back side olivaceous to black, the ventral side is amber-colored to whitish and sometimes marbled dark. The pupil is yellow to yellow-green, the iris is golden. An inconspicuous, light at Rotflossenhechten and rusty brown in grass pike band runs from the nape to the beginning of the dorsal fin. Vertical standing wave, olive to black ribbons pattern the body sides. When Rotflossenhecht there are 20-36 bands and the light areas between the bands are narrower than the bands. When grass pike, there are only 15 to 23 bands and the light areas between them are wider. The Rotflossenhecht has one on the sides heavily pigmented lower jaw. The dorsal fin is dark, the other fins are reddish. When grass pike, the lower jaw is only slightly pigmented. The dorsal fin is dark, the front edges of the remaining fins are black. Otherwise, its fins are dark to amber.
Way of life
American pikes in plant populations in lakes, swamps, bayous and stagnant areas of small to medium-sized rivers. Like all pike is the American pike a predatory fish.