Family ESOCIDAE 



THE PIKE FAMILY 



The family Esocidae includes the true pikes, or pickerels, all of which 

 are included in the genus Esox, which is represented also in northern 

 Europe and Asia. All members of this family have elongated bodies 

 and heads. They are distinguished by very long, depressed jaws. A 

 single soft-rayed dorsal fin is inserted far back on the body. No spines 

 are present in any of the fins. The jaws are armed with large canine 

 teeth. 



Five species are found in the United States. The muskellunge, Esox 

 masqidnongy Mitchill, and its subspecies are found in the Upper Mis- 

 sissippi Valley, the Great Lakes region, and Lake of the Woods. The 

 northern pike, Esox Indus Linnaeus, in Minnesota sometimes called 

 "great northern pike," or "pickerel," is found throughout northern 

 Europe and in North America north of the Ohio River. The eastern 

 common, or chain, pickerel, or green pike, Esox niger LeSueur, a slender 

 species with chainlike markings on the body, is found in the southern 

 and eastern United States. The bulldog (barred) pickerel, Esox ameri- 

 canus Gmelin, a small pickerel, is likewise confined to the eastern and 

 southern United States. The httle mud pickerel, Esox verTniculatus 

 LeSueur, which is considered a subspecies of americanus by many 

 ichthyologists, is a small pickerel rarely reaching a length of over 12 

 inches. It is marked with wormlike wavy bars. It is distributed in the 

 Ohio Valley and the Lower Mississippi drainage. The only species of 

 the family definitely known to occur in Minnesota are the northern 

 pike. Esox lucius, and the muskellunge, Esox musquinongy. Both these 

 fishes have received numerous common names, which have been listed 

 by Weed (1927) . 



Key to Common Species of Family ESOCIDAE 



1. Opercle entirely scaled; markings of wavy dark bars; size small 



Mud Pickerel, Esox vermiculatus LeSueur 



Opercle naked on lower half; markings variable; size large 2 



2. Cheeks completely scaled; body markings of adult, light spots on dark back- 

 ground: immature markings consist of light, irregular bars; mandibular pores 



5 or less on each side Northern Pike, Esox lucius Linnaeus 



Cheeks may have lower half naked or partially or even largely scaled; body 

 marking ranges from solid color to dark spots or bars on light background; 



mandibular pores more than 5 on each side 



Muskellunge, Esox masquinongy Mitchill 



GENUS Esox Linnaeus 



Esox is the only genus of this family found in America. 



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