Acipenser medirostris

• Overview
• 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].

Threatened

Common Names

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Description

Family Acipenseridae

Cold to temperate waters of the Northern Hemisphere. Anadromous or restricted to freshwater . Body with 5 rows of scutes . Mouth inferior and protractile. Four barbels anterior to mouth. Less than 50 gill rakers. Adults toothless. Large swim bladder. Attain 4.2 m or longer . Important for their meat and roe . Nearly all species are endangered or threatened.The family Acipenseridae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes ) and the Order Acipenseriformes. It contains 4 genera and 23 species. It may be found in Marine , Brackish , and Freshwater environments and is primarily Peripheral/diadromous. Some members of this family are used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are nonguarders. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is subcarangiform. Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be sluggish. Members of this family have been dated back to the Cretaceous period. This family may be found from 78° n to 24° s and 180° w to 180° e. Etymology of this family name : Latin, acipenser = sturgeon . 1853

Physical Description

Habitat

Typically found in water with a depth of -213 to 0 meters (-699 to 0 feet).[4]

Biome: Fresh water , brackish water, saltwater . Demersal .

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.


List of Habitats :5.1Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls ) 9.10Marine Neritic - Estuaries 10.1Marine Oceanic - Epipelagic (0-200m)

Biology

Migration

Anadromous .

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Acipenser acutirostris Ayres, 1854

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Similar Species

Members of the genus Acipenser

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 158 species and subspecies in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

A. acutirostris · A. agassizii · A. albertensis · A. aleutensis · A. alexandri · A. anasimos · A. anthracinus · A. atelaspis · A. sturio · A. ayresii · A. baeri · A. baerii (Long-Nosed Siberian Sturgeon) · A. baerii baerii (Long-Nosed Siberian Sturgeon) · A. baerii baicalensis (Siberian Baikal Sturgeon) · A. baerii baikalensis (Baikal Sturgeon) · A. baerii stenorrhynchus (Lena River Sturgeon) · A. baeri baicalensis · A. baeri brandt · A. baeri stenorrhynchus (Lena River Sturgeon) · A. bairdii · A. beluga · A. brandtii · A. brevirostris · A. brevirostrum (Short-Nosed Little Sturgeon) · A. buffalo · A. carbonarius · A. caryi · A. cataphractus · A. cayennensis · A. chinensis · A. colchicus · A. copei · A. dabryanus (Dabry´s Sturgeon) · A. dauricus · A. ruthenus · A. eruciferus · A. sturio · A. flavescens · A. fulvescens (Lake Sturgeon) · A. girardi · A. glaber · A. gmelini · A. gueldenstaedti · A. gueldenstaedtii (Azov-Black Sea Sturgeon) · A. gueldenstaedti acutirostris · A. gueldenstaedti brandt (Azov-Black Sea Sturgeon) · A. gueldenstaedti colchicus · A. gueldenstaedti golis · A. gueldenstaedti longirostris · A. gueldenstaedti scaber · A. gueldenstaedti tanaica · A. guldenstadtii · A. heckelii · A. helops · A. holbrookii · A. honneymani · A. hospitus · A. huso · A. ruthenus · A. kaluschka · A. kennicottii · A. kikuchii · A. kirtlandii · A. kostera · A. naccarii · A. laevis · A. lamarii · A. latirostris · A. lecontei · A. lesueurii · A. lichtensteinii · A. liopeltis · A. gueldenstaedtii · A. macrorhinus · A. maculosus · A. mantschuricus · A. mediorostris · A. medirostris (Green Japanese Sturgeon) · A. gueldenstaedtii · A. microrhynchus · A. mikadoi (Sakhalin Sturgeon) · A. milberti · A. mitchillii · A. schrenckii (Japanese Sturgeon) · A. nacarii · A. naccari · A. naccarii (Adriatic Sturgeon) · A. nardoi · A. nasus · A. nertinianus · A. nudiventris (Fringe-Lipped Worm Eel) · A. nudiventris derjavini · A. obtusirostris · A. oligopeltis · A. orientalis · A. ornatus · A. oxyrhinchus · A. oxyrhynchus · A. oxyrhynchus desotoi · A. oxyrhynchus oxyrhynchus (Atlantic Sturgeon)

More Info

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Further Reading

• A catalogue of the fishes known to inhabit the waters of North America, north of th Tropic of Cancer, with notes on the species discovered in 1883 and 1884, by David Starr Jordan. Washington, Govt. print. off., 1885. ENG 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. ENG url p. 9.
• Adams, P.B., Grimes, C.B., Hightower, J.E., Lindley, S.T. and Moser, M.L. 2002. Status review for North American green sturgeon, Acipenser medirostris. Special report to National Marine Fisheries Service, June 2002.
• Allen, P.A. and Cech Jr., J.J. 2003. Ontogeny of salinity tolerance in juvenile green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris). Presented at the 2003 WDAFS and Cal-Neva Annual Meeting. San Diego, CA, April 14–17, 2003.
• 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 co Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, Page & Co., 1908. ENG url p. 7.
• Annals of the Carnegie Museum. [Pittsburgh]: Published by authority of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Institute, 1901- ENG url p. 207.
• Annual report of the Commissioner of Fisheries to the Secretary of Commerce for the fiscal year ended.. . Washington: G.P.O., 1914- ENG url p. 276, p. 34.
• Archiv f�r Naturgeschichte. Berlin: Nicolai, 1835- GER url p. 108, p. 288.
• Beamesderfer, R.C.P. and Webb, M.A.H. 2002. Green sturgeon status review information. S.P. Cramer and Associates, Gresham, Oregon, U.S.
• Berg, L.S. 1948. Freshwater fishes of the U.S.S.R. and the adjacent countries. Vol. I (4th edition). Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R. Zoological Institute. Published for the National Science Foundation, Washington D.C. by the Israel Program for Scientific Translations, Jerusalem 1962.
• Birstein, V.J. and DeSalle, R. 1998. Molecular phylogeny of Acipenserinae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 9: 141–155.
• Boreman, J. 1997. Sensitivity of North American sturgeons and paddlefish to fishing mortality. Environmental Biology of Fishes 48(1/4):399-405.
• Bulletin - United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. ENG url p. 104, p. 117, p. 22.
• Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission. Washington, The Commission, Govt. Print. Off. ENG url p. 222, p. 231.
• California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG). 2002. California Department of Fish and Game Comments to NMFS regarding green sturgeon listing.
• 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. ENG url p. 86.
• Cech Jr., J.J., Doroshov, S.I., Moberg, G.P., May, B.P., Schaffter, R.G. and Kohlhorst, D.M. 2000. Biological assessment of green sturgeon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed (phase 1). Final Report to the CALFED Bay-Delta Program. Project # 98-C-15, Contract #B-81738.
• Davies, T.D. 2004. Update COSEWIC status report on green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris). Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEIC). CWS, Ottawa, ON, CA.
• Deng, X. 2000. Artificial reproduction and early life stages of the green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris). Unpublished PhD thesis. University of California, Davis.
• EPIC. 2001. Environmental Protection Information Center, Center for Biological Diversity, and Waterkeepers Northern California. Petition to list the North American Green Sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) as an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
• Erickson, D.L., North, J.A., Hightower, J.E., Weber, J. and Lauck, L. 2001. Movement and habitat use of green sturgeon Acipenser medirostris in the Rogue River, Oregon. Proceedings of 4th International Symposium on Sturgeons, July 8–13, 2001. Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
• Farr, R.A., Hughes, M.L. and Rien, T.A. 2002. Green sturgeon population characteristics in Oregon. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Research Project Annual Report F-178-R.
• Fishery bulletin / U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service. Washington, D.C.: The Service: ENG 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- ENG url p. 32.
• Froese, R. and Pauly, D. (eds). 2003. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. Search url p. 133.
• Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (MWLAP). 2002. Area Under License for Use or Managed for Conservation in 51 Coastal Estuaries. In: Environmental Trends in British Columbia. p: 54. MWLAP State of Environment Report.
• 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. ENG url p. 33.
• Moyle, P.B. 2002. Inland Fishes of California (second edition). Davis, CA: University of California Press.
• Moyle, P.B., Foley, P.J. and Yoshiyama, R.M. 1992. Status of green sturgeon, Acipenser medirostris, in California. Final report to National Marine Fisheries Service by University of California at Davis.
• Moyle, P.B., Yoshiyama, R.M., Williams, J.E. and Wikramanayake, E.D. 1995. Fish Species of Special Concern in California. Second edition. Final report to CA Department of Fish and Game, contract 2128IF.
• NOAA technical report NMFS SSRF. Seattle, Wash.: National Marine Fisheries Service; ENG url p. 4.
• Nakamoto, R.J., Kisanuki, T.T. and Goldsmith, G.H. 1995. Age and growth of Klamath River green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service project 93-FP-13. Yreka, California.
• 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] ENG url p. 260.
• National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 2002. Status review of North American green sturgeon, Acipenser medirostris. National Marine Fisheries Service. Santa Cruz.
• 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. ENG url p. 42.
• North, J.A., Farr, R.A. and Vescei, P. 2002. A comparison of meristic and morphometric characteristics of green sturgeon, Acipenser medirostris. Journal of Applied Ichthyology. 18: 234–239.
• Occasional papers of the California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco: California Academy of Sciences, ENG url p. 42, p. 5.
• Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. [Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia] ENG url p. 249, p. 256, p. 331.
• Ptolemy J. and Vennesland, R. 2003. Update COSEWIC status report on the white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Ottawa.
• Report of the Commissioner - United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries. Washington, The Commission; U.S. Govt. Print. Off. ENG url p. 189, p. 226, p. 801.
• Rien, T.A., Burner, L.C., Farr, R.A., Howell, M.D. and North, J.A. 2001. Green sturgeon population characteristics in Oregon. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Research Project Annual Report F-178-R.
• Smithsonian miscellaneous collections. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1862-1968. ENG 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. ENG url p. 32.
• 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. ENG url p. 663.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1995. Working Paper on Restoration Needs: Habitat Restoration Actions to Double Natural Production of Anadromous Fish in the Central Valley of California, Vol. 2. USFWS, Stockton.
• Van Eenennaam, J.P. and Doroshov, S.I. 2001. Reproductive conditions of Klamath River green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris). Proceedings of 4th International Symposium on Sturgeons, July 8-13, 2001. Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
• Van Eenennaam, J.P., Webb, M.A.H., Deng, X. and Doroshov, S.I. 2001. Artificial Spawning and Larval Rearing of Klamath River Green Sturgeon. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 130: 159–165.
• Waldman, J.R. 1995. Sturgeons and paddlefishes: a convergence of biology, politics and greed. Fisheries. 20(9): 20–21, 49.

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.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed April 20, 2007.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 01, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 5 providers.
• 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: 233
• 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. Mean = 192.000 meters (629.921 feet), Standard Deviation = 639.450 based on 5 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

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