1956). Ideally, these fish should be housed in temperatures between 50 and 85 degrees, but they can be kept in waters that are as cold as freezing or as hot as 100 degrees. Because the Fathead Minnow is fairly tolerant of harsh conditions, it can be found in bodies of water that may be uninhabitable to other fish, such as waste drainage sites. Hybridisation between P. promelas and P. notatus has been observed in their natural environment (Trautman, 1981; Danylchuk et al., 2012). Moreover, this species has been used for toxicity testing since the 1960s (Environment Canada 2011). However, the effects of this on the rest of the ecosystem could be more harmful than the high abundance of P. promelas. Yellow perch (Perca favescens) are also known to feed on P. promelas and a study demonstrated that they consistently feed on small individuals when given a choice of different sizes (Paszkowski and Tonn, 1994). Smith RJF; Murphy BD, 1974. In the wild the fathead minnow will appear to be dull greenish-grey, with a darkish stripe extending along the back and side, and a … Biotic interactions as determinants of ecosystem structure in prairie wetlands, 25(3):764-775. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgsnpwrc/270, Hassan-Williams C; Bonner TH, 2012. Determination of sexes in the fathead minnow, 98(3):526-527. Fathead Minnows prefer a temperature of 50° to 70° F and a pH range of 7.0 to 7.5. Fathead minnows in Europe: preliminary results. The Inland Fishes of Mississippi. They are omnivore filter feeders, often sifting through dirt and silt to find food. http://nas.er.usgs.gov/. It was hypothesized that if the fathead minnows are stressed with lead exposure and increased temperatures then their reproductive behaviors will be Effects of social structure on reproductive activity in male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), 12(4):482-489. Generally only the rosy-red variety is sold in pet shops (though very often several wild types come in with each shipment), and is summarily the most likely to be found in an aquarium. Spawning begins when water temperatures reach 70° F and continues through June. © Copyright 2021 CAB International. http://www.fishbase.org, Godard MJ, Britton JR, Guillerault N, Zieba G, Copp GH, 2010. The body is slightly to moderately compressed, the lateral line tends to be incomplete (with 7-40 pored scales), and the pre-dorsal scales are crowded and significantly smaller than those on the sides of the body (Ross et al., 2001). Fatheads can tolerate lower oxygen levels than most game fish. Larval fathead minnows and adult sunfish were exposed to either a low (mean±standard deviation, 90.1 ± 18 ng/L; n = 16) or high (414 ± 147 ng/L; n = 15) concentration of E1 or to a solvent control for 30 days at one of four natural seasonal temperatures (15°C, 18°C, 21°C, and 24°C) before predation trials were performed. They can be omnivores but normally eat more zooplankton than algae. P. promelas, commonly known as the fathead minnow, is a small-bodied, short-lived, nest guarding cyprinid fish. Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device. P. promelas is generally found in schools. 2. Three subspecies of Pimephales promelas were recognized up until the 1960s: P. promelas subsp. ). Fathead minnows are a common source of additional food for fish. Fathead Minnows prefer a temperature of 50° to 70° F and a pH range of 7.0 to 7.5. Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow); artwork of adult fish. Water Resources research grant proposal: Influences of fathead minnows on nutrient partitioning, water clarity, and ecosystem structure in prairie wetlands. The Fathead Minnow has become very popular as a baitfish and can be used in aquariums as pets. It has been accidently or intentionally introduced to many areas, where it has been stocked for its use as bait or as an aquarium pet. Columbus, OH, USA: Ohio State University Press. It has been widely introduced outside of its native range to many areas west of the Continental Divide and east of the Appalachians. Sommer A, 2012. For many areas, P. promelas has been accidentally or intentionally introduced into the natural environment. It is widely used in the USA in many laboratory toxicity studies (Ross et al., 2001). Females spawn at frequent intervals, up to several times a week. The females lay up to 10,000 eggs in vegetated areas. The fathead minnow tolerates adverse conditions, including high temperature, turbidity, and low oxygen concentrations, 2 so it is found in diverse habitats and is widely distributed throughout central North America from Canada to northern Mexico. NOTE: The keeping of Fathead Minnows in ponds in GB is illegal. It was first recorded in California in 1950 and was probably released into the Colorado River from a bait tank. (2001), Present in all three major drainage basins – Mississippi River, Lake Superior and Lake Michigan), Initially introduced as bait but then stocked by the Department of Fish and Game, Cs - Warm temperate climate with dry summer, Warm average temp. It is also physiologically capable of surviving very low oxygen conditions in lakes. The blunt, dorsally rounded shape of the head in breeding males (moderately so in others) gives the species its common name ‘fathead minnow’ (Nelson and Paetz, 1992). FishBase DVD. They are an indicator species of the core prairie fish assemblage found in the Intermittent and Perennial Prairie Stream Aquatic Ecological Systems. If you are stocking your pond with Bass or Bluegill, Fathead Minnows are a wonderful simultaneous addition for adding forage to your pond. The fathead minnow is also a fractional spawner, with populations producing multiple cohorts of larvae throughout the summer once water temperatures reach 18 °C (Dobie et al. P. promelas can reach maturity and spawn within their first year. This species is considered a pest in much of its introduced and native range. For example, in some lakes and ponds, which vary in oxygen levels from year to year, it may lead to a disproportionate number of smaller individuals within a population as the larger individuals cannot survive. Fractional spawning can result in 16 to 26 spawning events per female and an annual fecundity of 6,800 to 10,600 eggs per female. http://nas.er.usgs.gov/. The continued use of the P. promelas as bait and as an aquarium pet presents a continued risk of their release and introduction into non-native habitats. The species seems to be most abundant in small streams where competition with other species is limited. It lives in schools in midwater or near the bottom. General Description, Biology, Habitat, Distribution: The fathead minnow Pimephales promelas Rafinesque is a member of the fish family Cyprinidae, the largest family of fish with more than 2,000 species worldwide and nearly 300 extant in North America (Jenkins & Burkhead, 1994). Fathead minnows in Europe: preliminary results. Rainbow trout, bluegill, and fathead minnow are 1.2-5.2 times more sensitive to un-ionized ammonia at low temperatures (3-5 0 C) typical of winter conditions than at higher temperatures typical of summer conditions for each species (13-150C for rainbow trout and 24-250C for the non-salmonids). http://www.bio.txstate.edu/, Irwin P; Paskewitz S, 2009. In Belgium it is not only considered a pest as it predates on the eggs and larvae of native fishes but it is also thought to be responsible for the introduction of Yersinia ruckeri, the agent of enteric redmouth disease (Anseeuw et al., 2012). In: Fathead minnows in Europe, UK: Cefas-Lowestoft and Bournemouth University. Pesticides should always be used in a lawful manner, consistent with the product's label. Repeated introductions of P. promelas to wetland habitats in USA and Canada are causing economic repercussions for wetland managers responsible for water quality, flood protection and optimization of waterfowl production (Zimmer et al., 2006). 2008, Ptychocheilus lucius (Colorado pikeminnow), Rana chiricahuensis (Chiricahua leopard frog), http://water.usgs.gov/wrri/96grants/ncr12nd.htm, http://icais.org/pdf/2010abstracts/Gordon%20Copp.pdf, http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgsnpwrc/270, http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Pimephales_promelas/, http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/projects/wetland/studies/pwet/discuss.htm, http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/index.htm, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. 120, Common Farm-Raised Baitfish. The fishes of Alberta. The carnivorous portion of their diet is comprised mainly of insects, crustaceans, aquatic invertebrates as well as zooplankton. It has also been introduced intentionally into Iran and Europe, where wild populations have become established in the UK, Belgium and France. The fathead minnow lives in streams of all sizes but is most abundant in small, intermittent prairie creeks. In some cases, it was introduced to areas that already had native populations, such as Nebraska and Ohio. In: Invasive species in Belgium. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Pimephales_promelas/, USGS, 2012. The fathead minnow has a naturally silver coloration; it develops dark stripes to signal its availability to mate. P. promelas is found throughout North America, ‘occurring naturally between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians in the Mississippi, Hudson Bay, and Great Lakes basins and from Louisiana, Texas, and Chihuahua, Mexico, in the south to the Alberta-Northwest Territories border and northern Ontario in the north’ (Danylchuk et al., 2012). Fishes of Arkansas. Other species within the Pimephales genus, such as the bluntnose minnow (P. notatus) can be distinguished by their terminal and slightly oblique to subterminal mouth, in contrast to the distinctive strongly oblique to superior and almost vertical mouth of P. promelas (Werner, 2004; Danylchuk et al., 2012). The pre-dorsal scales on other minnows tend to be similar in size, number and compactness to those on the sides of the fish (Danylchuk et al., 2012). Becker GC, 1983. It is uncertain as to whether wild populations are present in Germany as well (Danylchuk et al., 2012). Fatheads will live about two years if they have spawned, but significantly long… Size demography of individuals within a population may be affected by environmental variables, such as low oxygen levels. New York, USA: Syracuse University Press, 335 pp. In Madison, USA, it was even found to decrease densities of mosquito that were associated with the spread of West Nile virus (Irwin and Paskewitz, 2009; Danylchuk et al., 2012). Policies to prevent stocking of fish in certain vulnerable habitats could reduce the further spread of this species (Butler and Hanson, 1996). Flickenger SA, 1969. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life., Arlington, Virginia, USA: NatureServe. Stocking: Fathead minnows are very useful when stocked in catfish only ponds where the catfish are not being fed regularly. It has also negatively impacted habitats, such as wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region, USA. It has been suggested that P. promelas could become invasive in the UK within the next 40 years, so further research is needed to identify areas of elevated risk, and control and eradication plans would need to be proposed and implemented (Godard et al., 2010). 2,3 It is most abundant in muddy streams, brooks, ponds, and small lakes. The Fathead Minnow is a freshwater fish that can be found throughout most of North America. Online at www.fishbase.org. Collapse of a fish population after exposure to a synthetic estrogen. Fishes of Wisconsin. Arlington, Virginia, USA: NatureServe. Fathead minnows are fractional spawners, meaning they begin spawning when water temperatures approach 18 °C (64 °F) and continue until they drop below that temperature in late summer. The range-finding test should ideally be performed with reproductively-mature fathead minnows under conditions (e.g., fish age, loading rate, temperature, chemical source/delivery) similar to those to be used in the 21-d reproduction test (described in detail in Sections G and H, and briefly summarized in Table 1). Pimephales promelas: fathead minnow, Belgium: The Belgian Biodiversity Platform. Danylchuk AJ; Tonn WM, 2000. Non Indigenous Aquatic Species Database. One study in Alberta observed P. promelas largely consuming invertebrates including crustaceans and chironomid pupae (Price et al., 1991). > 10°C, Cold average temp. Generate a print friendly version containing only the sections you need. The haploid (n) and diploid (2n) chromosome numbers for P. promelas in the USA have been reported as n = 25 and 2n = 50-50 (Froese and Pauly, 2012). 2, Control, 26 °C, ff). It takes 4-5 months for a young fathead to become sexually mature. 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