Acipenser medirostris

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Family : Sturgeons ; Found in estuaries, lower reaches of large rivers , and in salt or brackish water off river mouths [1]. Probably spawns in fresh water [2]. May cover considerable distances in the ocean[2]. Edible but with a disagreeable taste and unpleasant odor[3].

Near Threatened

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Physical Description

Habitat

Typically found in a lake at a mean distance from sea level of 192 meters (630 feet).[4]

Ecology: The Green Sturgeon is among the most marine oriented and widespread of the sturgeons . Like most sturgeons, the Green Sturgeon is characterized by large size, longevity , delayed maturation , high fecundity , and far-ranging movements. Green Sturgeon reach sizes up to 2.7 m and have been aged to over 50 years (Nakamoto et al. 1995, Farr et al. 2002). Mortality rates of subadults and adults are low and probably do not exceed 10% per year from natural causes based on age frequency analysis. Males typically mature at about 15–17 years and 1.5–1.8 m, while females typically mature at 20–25 years and 1.8–2.1 m (Van Eenennaam and Doroshov 2001a). Similarly aged males are generally smaller than females with males from the northern DPS achieving a maximum size of 168 cm, while sexually mature males and females from the southern DPS range in size from 139 to199 cm and 157 to 223 cm, respectively (Adams et al. 2002). Spawning is believed to occur every 3-5 years and the generation time is 27–33 years (Davies 2004).

Green Sturgeon are oviparious broadcast spawners and adult Green Sturgeon typically migrate into freshwater beginning in late February and spawning occurs in April to June in deep, turbulent river mainstems (Moyle et al. 1995). Klamath and Rogue River populations appear to spawn within 160 km of the ocean while the Sacramento population may travel over 320 km upriver. Green Sturgeon eggs and larvae are comparatively larger than those of other sturgeon species. For example, Cech et al. (2000) reported a egg diameter of 4.34, 3.40 and 2.62 mm for green, white, and Atlantic Sturgeon (A. oxyrinchus) respectfully indicating that Green Sturgeon have eggs which have a volume twice that of white and over four times that of Atlantic Sturgeon. Consequently, Green Sturgeon have a relatively lower fecundity in comparison to other similar sized sturgeon species as reproductive energy is more heavily invested in egg size rather than egg number (Van Eenennaam et al. 2001b, Cech et al. 2000). Fecundity varies with age and size, but has been estimated to be in the order of 2,800 eggs per kilogram bodyweight; approximately half that of White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) at 5,648 eggs per kilogram bodyweight (Moyle 2002).

The eggs do not form a thick jelly coat as do those of other North American sturgeon and exhibit poor adhesion to substrate (Deng 2000, Cech et al. 2000), which would indicate sensitivity to turbidity loading (Moyle et al. 1994, Moyle 2002). Furthermore, the larger eggs and higher growth rates of developing Green Sturgeon in comparison to other North American sturgeons suggests that a higher oxygen demand may be required for proper embryonic development; thus Green Sturgeon may require colder, cleaner water for spawning. (USFWS 1995).

Eggs hatch in 7 to 9 days at 15°C (Van Eenennaam et al. 2001). Cech et al. (2000) reported that temperatures above 20°C are lethal to embryos and temperatures above 24°C significantly reduce five-day larval growth rates . Larvae begin to feed at 10 days post hatch and complete metamorphosis into juveniles at 45 days (Adams et al. 2002). Juvenile Green Sturgeon grow rapidly reaching 60 cm within 2–3 years and they spend 1–4 years in fresh and estuarine waters before dispersal to saltwater (Beamsesderfer and Webb 2002). Green Sturgeon are commonly observed in bays and estuaries up and down the coast and large concentrations enter the Columbia River estuary , and Washington's Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay during late summer (Moyle et al. 1995). Limited tagging studies show that tagged individuals from the Columbia River have been recaptured off the west coast of Vancouver Island (Adams et al. 2002).

During the 1 to 4 years of freshwater residence, juveniles gradually move to deeper and more saline areas as they grow (Beamesderfer and Webb 2002). As juveniles grow, they exhibit greater tolerance to salinity and achieve seawater tolerance at seven months or sooner (Allen and Cech 2003). Adults return to freshwater to spawn, and Green Sturgeon have been reported to spawn up to 160 km upstream in the Klamath and Rogue rivers, and over 300 km upstream in the Sacramento River (Beamesderder and Webb 2002). After spawning, they to sea in late autumn to early winter when temperatures drop below 10°C and flows increased above 100 m3s-1 (Erickson et al. 2002).

Juveniles are opportunistic benthic feeders with a diet consisting of various invertebrates and fish (EPIC 2001, Moyle 2002). Stomach content analysis indicates that adult Green Sturgeon have a marine diet consisting of various benthic invertebrates including shrimp, crabs, worms, amphioids, and isopods (EPIC 2001), but have also been observed feeding on sand lances (Ammodytes hexapterus) and other fish.[5].

List of Habitats :

•     5     Wetlands (inland)   
  
•     5.1     Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls )   
  
•     9     Marine Neritic   
  
•     9.10     Marine Neritic - Estuaries   
  
•     10     Marine Oceanic   
  
•     10.1     Marine Oceanic - Epipelagic (0-200m)   
[more info]

Biology

Migration

Anadromous .

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: Data last modified by FishBase 28-Jan-1994

Synonyms = A. medirostris mikadoi Hilgendorf, 1892 (although this is now probably best treated as a distinct species); A. acutirostris Ayres, 1854.

The Green Sturgeon was once considered conspecific with the Sakhalin Sturgeon (A. mikadoi) and the two forms were synonymized (Berg 1948). However, recent molecular data on three mitochondrial genes and morphometric studies show large differences between North American and Asian forms (Birstein and DeSalle 1998, North et al. 2002). Sakhalin Sturgeon is now believed extinct in Japan, Korea and China and the species sustains only a remnant population in Russia's Tumnin River where there is a hatchery (Adams et al. 2002).[5].

Similar Species

Members of the genus Acipenser

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 36 species and subspecies in this genus:

A. baerii (Long-Nosed Siberian Sturgeon) · A. baerii baerii (Lena River Sturgeon) · A. baerii baicalensis (Baikal Sturgeon) · A. baerii baikalensis (Baikal Sturgeon) · A. baerii stenorrhynchus (Lena River Sturgeon) · A. baeri stenorrhynchus (Lena River Sturgeon) · A. brevirostris (Short-Nosed Little Sturgeon) · A. brevirostrum (Short-Nosed Little Sturgeon) · A. dabryanus (Dabry´s Sturgeon) · A. dauricus (Great Siberian Sturgeon) · A. fulvescens (Lake Sturgeon) · A. gueldenstaedti (Caspian Sturgeon) · A. gueldenstaedtii (Caspian Sturgeon) · A. gueldenstaedti brandt (Azov-Black Sea Sturgeon) · A. huso (European Sturgeon) · A. medirostris (Barbel Sturgeon) · A. mikadoi (Sakhalin Sturgeon) · A. multiscutatus (Japanese Sturgeon) · A. naccari (Adriatic Sturgeon) · A. naccarii (Adriatic Sturgeon) · A. nudiventris (American Atlantic Sturgeon) · A. oxyrhynchus (Atlantic Sturgeon) · A. oxyrhynchus oxyrhynchus (Atlantic Sturgeon) · A. oxyrinchus (American Atlantic Sturgeon) · A. oxyrinchus desotoi (Gulf Sturgeon) · A. oxyrinchus oxyrinchus (American Atlantic Sturgeon) · A. persicus (Persian Sturgeon) · A. plecostomus (Suckermouth Catfish) · A. ruthenus (Sterlet Sturgeon) · A. schrencki (Japanese Sturgeon) · A. schrenckii (Japanese Striped Loach) · A. sinensis (Chinese Sturgeon) · A. stellatus (Stellate Sturgeon) · A. stenorrhynchus (Long-Nosed Siberian Sturgeon) · A. sturio (Atlantic Sturegon) · A. transmontanus (Sacramento Sturgeon)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• A bibliography of fishes, New York, American Museum of Natural History, 1916-1923. url .
• A catalogue of the fishes known to inhabit the waters of North America, north of the Tropic of Cancer, with notes on the species discovered in 1883 and 1884, by David Starr Jordan. Washington, Govt. print. off., 1885. url p. 13.
• A list of common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. Report presented at the eighty-ninth annual meeting, Clearwater, Fla., Sept. 16-18, 1959. Ann Arbor, Mich., 1960. url p. 9.
• A manual of land and fresh water vertebrate animals of the United States (exclusive of birds) by Henry Sherring Pratt. .. with 184 illustrations. Philadelphia, Blakiston's[c1923] url p. 31.
• American fishes; a popular treatise upon the game and food fishes of North America, with especial reference to habits and methods of capture, Boston, L. C. Page[c1903]. url , .
• American food and game fishes. A popular account of all the species found in America north of the equator, with keys for ready identification, life histories and methods of capture, . by David Starr Jordan...and Barton Warren Evermann...illustrated with colored plates and text drawings, and with photographs from life, by A. Radclyffe Dugmore. Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, Page & Co., 1908. url p. 7.
• American food and game fishes: A popular account of all the species found in America north of the equator, with keys of ready identification, life histories and methods of capture New York: Doubleday, Page & co., 1902. url p. 7.
• American food and game fishes: a popular account of all the species found in America, north of the equator, with keys for ready identification, life histories and methods of capture, by David Starr Jordan and Barton Warren Evermann; with photos. from life by A. Radclyffe Dugmore. New York: Doubleday, Page, 1908, c1902. url p. 7.
• Annals of the Carnegie Museum. [Pittsburgh]: Published by authority of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Institute, 1901- url p. 207.
• Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. New York, New York Academy of Sciences. url p. 351.
• Bibliography of the fishes of the Pacific coast of the United states to the end of 1879. Washington: Govt. print. off., 1882. url p. 22.
• Bulletin - United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. url p. 104, p. 117, p. 22, p. 390.
• Bulletin of the Bureau of Fisheries. Washington, D.C.: Govt. Print. Off., 1905-1950. url , p. 161, p. 222, p. 222, p. 231, p. 231, p. 361.
• Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences Los Angeles, Calif.: The Academy, 1971- url p. 105.
• California fish and game. [San Francisco, etc.]: State of California, Resources Agency, Dept. of Fish and Game. url p. 102, p. 105, p. 11, p. 170, p. 21, p. 210, p. 23, p. 24, p. 248, p. 256, p. 306, p. 317, p. 322, p. 325, p. 335, p. 385, p. 51, p. 53, p. 55, p. 55, p. 58, p. 74.
• Catalogue of scientific papers (1800-1900) Comp. by the Royal society of London. Cambridge, C. J. Clay and sons, 1867-1902; url p. 86.
• Catalogue of scientific papers, 1800-1900. Compiled by the Royal Society of London. London, C.J. Clay and Sons, 1867-1902 [etc.] Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1914-25. url p. 86.
• Check list of the fishes of the Dominion of Canada and Newfoundland. Ottawa, Printed by C. H. Parmelee, 1913. url .
• Checklist of CITES Species CITES, WCMC url p. 147, p. 159.
• Checklist of CITES Species: a reference to the appendices to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES url p. 138, p. 157.
• Checklist of fish and invertebrates listed in the CITES appendices and in EC Regulation 338/97 JNCC url p. 229.
• Contributions to avian palaeontology from the Pacific coast of North America, by Loye Holmes Miller. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1912. url p. 71.
• Contributions to biology from the Hopkins Seaside Laboratory of the Leland Stanford Jr. University. Stanford University, Calif.: The University, 1895-1904. url p. 789.
• Current bibliography for aquatic sciences and fisheries. London, Taylor & Francis ltd. url p. 707.
• Dean bibliography of fishes. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1971-1973. url p. 17, p. 198, p. 253, p. 320, p. 467, p. 487.
• Encyclopaedia Britannica: a dictionary of arts, sciences, and general literature. Philadelphia, Hubbard, 1889. url p. 617.
• Fishery bulletin / U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service. Washington, D.C.: The Service: url p. 761.
• Fishes of the western North Atlantic. Editorial board: editor-in-chief John Tee-Van [and others] New Haven, Sears Foundation for Marine Research, Yale Univ., 1948- url p. 32.
• International catalogue of scientific literature. LondonPublished for the International Council by the Royal Society of London1901-1920 url p. 23, p. 4.
• Keys to the fishes of Washington, Oregon and closely adjoining regions, by Leonard P. Schultz. Seattle, Wash., University of Washington Press, 1936. url p. 133.
• Monogenetic trematodes: their systematics and phylogeny / by Boris E. Bychowsky; edited by William J. Hargis, Jr.; translated by Pierre C. Oustinoff. Washington, D.C.: American Institute of Biological Sciences, c1961. url p. 33.
• NOAA technical report NMFS SSRF. Seattle, Wash.: National Marine Fisheries Service; url p. 4.
• Name that animal; a guide to the identification of the common land and fresh-water animals of the United States, with special reference to the area east of the Rockies. With drawings by Olive Driver. Northampton? Mass., 1950 url p. 260.
• National overview and evolution of NOAA's Estuarine Living Marine Resources (ELMR) Program / David M. Nelson and Mark E. Monaco. Silver Spring. Md.: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, 2000. url p. 42.
• Notes on a reconnoissance [sic] of the fisheries of the Pacific coast of the United States in 1894 by Hugh M. Smith. Washington: G.P.O., 1895 url .
• Occasional papers of the California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco: California Academy of Sciences, url p. 42, p. 5.
• Outlines of zoology / by J. Arthur Thomson. New York: D. Appleton, 1895. url p. 508.
• Outlines of zoology, New York, D. Appleton & Co., 1893. url .
• Pamphlets on forestry. Fish and game. [1900?- url p. 104.
• Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco, The Academy. url p. 1027, p. 789.
• Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.] url p. 16, p. 260, p. 270, p. 272, p. 36.
• Report of the Commissioner for. .. / United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries. Washington: G.P.O., 1874-1905. url p. 189, p. 226, p. 226, p. 801.
• Report of the United States Commissioner of Fisheries for the fiscal year. .. with appendixes Washington: G.P.O., 1914- url p. 276, p. 34.
• Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. Made under the direction of the secretary of war, in 1853-[6]. .. Washington, A.O.P. Nicholson, Printer [etc.]1855-60. url , , p. 356.
• Smithsonian miscellaneous collections. 22 1882 Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1862-1968. url p. 16, p. 260, p. 270, p. 272.
• Soft-rayed Bony fishes: class Osteichthyes, order Acipenseroidei, order Lepisostei, order Isospondyli, suborder Elopoidea, suborder Clupeoidea, suborder Salmonoidea / Henry B. Bigelow. .. [et al.]. New Haven, Conn.: Sears Foundation for Marine Research, Yale University, 1963. url p. 32.
• Syllogeus. Ottawa, National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1972-1995. url p. 11.
• Synopsis of the fishes of North America by David S. Jordan and Charles H. Gilbert. Washington: G.P.O., 1882. url .
• The Canadian field-naturalist. Ottawa, Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. url , p. 148, p. 152, p. 161, p. 169, p. 2, p. 2, p. 250, p. 286, p. 287, p. 396, p. 455, p. 565, p. 569, p. 775, p. 782, p. 791, p. 95.
• The complete angler and huntsman, by Thomas Hubert Hutton and Stanley Blake. Berry, Ky., 1919. url p. 54.
• The fisheries and fishery industries of the United States. Prepared through the co-operation of the commissioner of fisheries and the superintendent of the tenth census by George Brown Goode. .. and a staff of associates. .. Washington, Govt. Print. Off., 1884-87. url p. 663.
• The fishes of North and Middle America: a descriptive catalogue of the species of fish-like vertebrates found in the waters of North America, north of the Isthmus of Panama / by David Starr Jordan and Barton Warren Evermann. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, United States National Museum, 1896-1900. url p. 104.
• The fishes of Puget sound, by David Starr Jordan and Edwin Chapin Starks. Palo Alto, Cal., Leland Stanford Junior University, 1895. url p. 789.
• Washington State Coastal Zone Management Program amendment no. 3: approval of the Grays Harbor estuary management plan: program draft environmental impact statement. [Olympia, Wash.?]: Grays Harbor Regional Planning Commission; 1983. url p. 17, p. 20.
• World directory of hydrobiological and fisheries institutions. Washington, D.C.: American Institute of Biological Sciences, 1963. url p. 233.

Notes

Contributors

• American Fisheries Society. Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United states, Canada, and Mexico Sixth Edition. Special Publication 29.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 9, 2012.
• FishBase. Release date: January 5, 2010
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 01, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 5 providers.
• IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. . Downloaded on January 28, 2012.
• Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.
• St. Pierre, R. & Campbell, R.R. 2006. Acipenser medirostris. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloadedon 29January2012.
• St. Pierre, R. (US Fish&Wildlife Service) & Campbell, R.R. (COSEWIC Freshwater Fishes SSC) 2006. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 18, 2008.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 01, 2008:

• Canadian Museum of Nature: Canadian Museum of Nature Fish Collection
• FishBase: FishBase DiGIR Provider - Philippine Server
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Canadian Museum of Nature - Fish Collection (OBIS Canada)
• Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History: Vertebrate specimens
• Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History: Santa Barbara Musem of Natural History

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3862679
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Fis-29588
• Fishbase Species ID: 2592
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 161067
• IUCN ID: 188487
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: AFCAA01030
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 519

Footnotes

1. Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr (1991). A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p. [back]
2. Morrow, J.E. (1980). The freshwater fishes of Alaska. University of. B.C. Animal Resources Ecology Library. 248p. [back]
3. Scott, W.B. and E.J. Crossman (1973). Freshwater fishes of Canada. Bull. Fish. Res. Board Can. 184:1-966. [back]
4. Standard Deviation = 639.450 based on 5 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
5. St. Pierre, R. & Campbell, R.R. 2006. Acipenser medirostris. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 29 January 2012. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.