Black buffalo

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This article is about the species of fish. For other uses, see Black Buffalo (disambiguation).

Black buffalo
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Catostomidae
Genus: Ictiobus
Species:
I. niger
Binomial name
Ictiobus niger
(Rafinesque, 1819)
Synonyms
  • Amblodon niger Rafinesque, 1819

The black buffalo (Ictiobus niger) is a North American species of freshwater fish in the Catostomidae or sucker family.[2] With a lifespan of up to 24 years, it is among the longest-lived of freshwater fish species.[3] Found in the Mississippi Basin and southern Great Lakes. It was first discovered in Canada in the western end of Lake Erie and has been reported from Boston Creek. The Tennessee distribution ranges from rivers and streams in the Cumberland Mountains, a few rivers in middle Tennessee, and in west Tennessee along the Mississippi River.[4] The ecology of the species is quite similar to that of I. bubalus. I. niger has a ventrally positioned mouth, making the species’ diet benthic-oriented.[4] It has a distinct shape that mocks I. bubalus and I. cyprinellus, considering it a hybrid between the two species.[4]

Geographic distribution[edit]

I. niger is found in large and small rivers in eastern North America from the Mississippi Basin to Canada. In Canada, the species was first described in Lake Erie.[5] In the United States, the species is found in both small and large rivers in the basins of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio as well as in southern Lake Michigan and Lake Erie.[5] Among others, it is native to Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota; more southern states include eastern Texas and Oklahoma.

Ecology[edit]

The ecology of I. niger is most closely related to I. cyprinellus. Due to the ventrally positioned mouth, the diet is benthic-oriented, with the Asiatic clam being the principal food. Detritus and sand are also ingested and contribute about 40% of the dietary volume.[6] It is most commonly found in quiet, shallow waters. The U.S. angling record is 55.5 lb (25.2 kg) and was caught in Tennessee in 1984.[6] The typical length is about 20–30 in (51–76 cm) with a maximum length of 48.5 in (123 cm). The typical weight is estimated to be about 10–30 lb (4.5–13.6 kg). A specimen caught in Shelby County, Tennessee, on April 1, 1980, was accepted as valid and weighed 80 lb (36 kg).[4] I. niger relies on benthic organisms more heavily than I. bubalus. I. niger feeds mostly from the bottom.[7]

Life history[edit]

Members of Ictiobus are large, robust-bodied suckers adapted to large rivers. Currently recognized species are readily diagnosed by morphological characters, and the group is known from fossils dating back to the Miocene.[8] I. niger is a spring spawner. They spawn in flooded areas and backwaters of sloughs and small to large rivers.[9] Fertilized eggs are demersal and adhesive. They hatch in 24–36 hours at 19–24 °C (66–75 °F). I. niger grows fairly rapidly, averaging 13.4 cm (5.3 in) after the first year. It is unknown when black buffalo reach sexual maturity. The spawning period could take days. Spawning fish remain in a state of excitement, and are unconcerned about unusual movements or disturbances. I. niger has been reported violently jumping and repressed eagerness while spawning. The fish do not seem to recover normal reaction to alarm until the spawning draws to an end.[10] The black buffalo can live for more than a century, and thus like other buffalofish species, the black buffalo is extremely long-lived.[3][11][12]

Relationship with people[edit]

No specific plan exists for protection for this species in Canada other than the Fisheries Act. However, I. niger is listed as of special concern in Kentucky, Mississippi, South Dakota, and West Virginia. It has also been listed as protected in Wisconsin.[5] From 1957 to 1959, only seven specimens were recorded in the Ohio River. In 1968–69, only four specimens were captured.[13] Threats and issues include loss, bowfishing, modification or fragmentation of large river habitat caused by dams in the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers. Mistaken identity leads to the taking of this species in commercial fisheries. The exotic bighead carp shares the habitat with I. niger and consumes large amounts of zooplankton, outcompeting I. niger for needed food.[14] The IGFA all tackle world record for the species stands at 63lbs 6oz caught from the Mississippi River in Iowa in 1999.[15]

Management recommendations[edit]

To ensure the long life and thriving reproduction of I. niger, protection and restoration of larger river habitat is needed. Education of anglers, biologists, and the general public in taxonomy, systematics, and habitat use is needed. The species presents special difficulties, due to natural hybridization, for both research and enforcement.[16] Dams need to be equipped with fish passages to connect fragmented habitats, invasive species that compete or degrade the habitat of native fishes need to be controlled,[14] and bowfishing and commercial fishing need to be managed.[12][17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ NatureServe (2013). "Ictiobus niger". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013. IUCN: e.T191242A18234404. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T191242A18234404.en.
  2. ^ * "Ictiobus niger". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 6 June 2006..
  3. ^ a b Lackmann, Alec R.; Black, Stuart A.; Bielak-Lackmann, Ewelina S.; Lackmann, Jeffrey A. (2023-10-20). "Centenarian lifespans of three freshwater fish species in Arizona reveal the exceptional longevity of the buffalofishes (Ictiobus)". Scientific Reports. 13 (1): 17401. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-44328-8. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 10589290.
  4. ^ a b c d Etnier, D. A., Starnes, W. C. (1993). The Fishes of Tennessee. (1 ed., pp. 278–280). Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press.
  5. ^ a b c Houston J. 1990. Status of Black Buffalo, I. niger, in Canada. The Canadian Field-Naturalist 104:98–102.
  6. ^ a b Ross, Stephen T., W.M. Brenneman, W.T. Slack, M.T. O'Connell, T.L. Peterson. 2001. The Inland Fishes of Mississippi. (1st ed.) pp. 278–279. University Press of Mississippi.
  7. ^ Minckley, W.L.; Johnson, J.E.; Rinne, J.N.; Willoughby, S.E. (1970). "Foods of Buffalofishes, Genus Ictiobus, in Central Arizaon Reservoirs". Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 99 (2): 333–342. doi:10.1577/1548-8659(1970)99<333:fobgii>2.0.co;2.
  8. ^ Bart Jr, Henry L.; Clements, M.D.; Blanton, R. E.; Piller, K.R.; Hurley, D.L. (2010). "Discordant molecular and morphological evolution in buffalofishes. (Actinopterygii:Catostomidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 56: 808–820. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.04.029.
  9. ^ "Ictiobus niger". NatureServe. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29.
  10. ^ Yeager, L. E. (1936). "An Observation on Spawning Buffalofish in Mississippi". Copeia. 4: 238–239. doi:10.2307/1436333.
  11. ^ Lackmann, Alec R.; Andrews, Allen H.; Butler, Malcolm G.; Bielak-Lackmann, Ewelina S.; Clark, Mark E. (2019-05-23). "Bigmouth Buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus sets freshwater teleost record as improved age analysis reveals centenarian longevity". Communications Biology. 2 (1): 197. doi:10.1038/s42003-019-0452-0. ISSN 2399-3642. PMC 6533251. PMID 31149641.
  12. ^ a b Montague, Graham F.; Schooley, Jason D.; Scarnecchia, Dennis L.; Snow, Richard A. (August 2023). "Bowfishing shoot and release: High short‐term mortality of nongame fishes and its management implications". North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 43 (4): 962–983. doi:10.1002/nafm.10904. ISSN 0275-5947.
  13. ^ Trautman, M.B. (1981). The Fishes of Ohio. Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data. pp. 409–411.
  14. ^ a b "Black Buffalo". Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan Species Profile. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 2010-06-16.
  15. ^ "Buffalo, black". igfa.org. International Game Fish Association. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  16. ^ Johnson, D. W.; Minckley, W. L. (1969). "Natural Haybridization in Buffalofishes, Ictiobus". Copeia. 1: 198–200. doi:10.2307/1441719.
  17. ^ Rypel, Andrew L.; Saffarinia, Parsa; Vaughn, Caryn C.; Nesper, Larry; O’Reilly, Katherine; Parisek, Christine A.; Miller, Matthew L.; Moyle, Peter B.; Fangue, Nann A.; Bell‐Tilcock, Miranda; Ayers, David; David, Solomon R. (December 2021). "Goodbye to "Rough Fish": Paradigm Shift in the Conservation of Native Fishes". Fisheries. 46 (12): 605–616. doi:10.1002/fsh.10660. ISSN 0363-2415.
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