Central mudminnow

American dog fish ( Umbra limi )

The American dog fish ( Umbra limi ) is a small freshwater fish from the order of the pike -like ( Esociformes ). He lives in the area of the St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, Québec and Manitoba in Canada and in the basin of the Mississippi, south to Ohio, Tennessee and Arkansas in the U.S.. Moreover, in the basin of the Hudson River in New York. Isolated populations are in the basin of the Missouri in South Dakota and Iowa.

Features

The fish have a somewhat cruder form than the European dog fish and less flattened laterally. They have a shorter, more rounded snout and are olive green in color. The flanks are dark- eyed and sometimes show 14 indistinct stripes. On the tail fin root, there is a dark spot. The underside is pale yellowish or white.

Fins formula: Dorsal 13, Anal 7-8

Way of life

The fish live in marshes, in quiet areas of rivers on mud bottoms, usually in dense vegetation. They can tolerate a low oxygen content of the water and high water temperatures. American dog fish feed on aquatic insects, amphipods, isopods and snails.

The spawning season in the spring, the animals greenish shining, the males are in reproduction lemon yellow to orange-red. The eggs are laid on plants or in a small depression in the ground. The female probably operates brood care. After six days, the fry hatch.