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Chondrostei (sturgeons) > Acipenseriformes (Sturgeons and paddlefishes) > Acipenseridae (Sturgeons) > Scaphirhynchinae
Etymology: Scaphirhynchus: Greek, skaphe, -eos = boat + Greek, rhyngchos = snout (Ref. 45335); albus: From the word albus, meaning white (Ref. 10294).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243). Subtropical; 44°N - 30°N

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

North America: nearly restricted to main channels of Missouri River and lower Mississippi River from Montana to Louisiana in USA.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 58490); common length : 81.7 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12193); max. published weight: 130.0 kg (Ref. 52332); max. reported age: 41 years (Ref. 32514)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Absence of scalelike scutes on belly; bases of outer barbels usually behind bases of inner barbels (Ref. 86798).

Adults inhabit large, deep, turbid river channels, usually in strong current over firm sand or gravel (Ref. 10294, 58490). They feed on aquatic insect immatures, particularly caddisfly larvae, and small fish (Ref. 10294). Threatened due to over harvesting and habitat loss (Ref. 58490). No length type given but assumed to be in TL.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

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. Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. (20):183 p. (Ref. 3814)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Critically Endangered (CR) (A2bcde); Date assessed: 08 December 2020

CITES

Appendix II: International trade monitored

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Fisheries: species profile; Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.6250 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00407 (0.00149 - 0.01114), b=3.16 (2.92 - 3.40), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.9 ±0.63 se; based on food items.

Generation time: 16.8 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 2 growth studies.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (tm=5-15; Fec=170,000, tmax=41(based on 1 specimen only)).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): High to very high vulnerability (67 of 100).

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Scaphirhynchus albus (Forbes & Richardson, 1905)