Central mudminnow
| Central mudminnow | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Umbra limi,Photograph by Konrad P. Schmidt, University of Minnesota | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Esociformes |
| Family: | Umbridae |
| Genus: | Umbra |
| Species: | U. limi |
| Binomial name | |
| Umbra limi Kirtland, 1841 | |
The central mudminnow (Umbra limi) is a small fish in the family Umbridae of the order Esociformes. It is found in central and eastern North America in productive waters. It is fairly tolerant of low oxygen concentrations and, as a result, it is sometimes the only, or one of a very few, fish species present in waters susceptible to winter- or summerkill.
Abstract
The central mudminnow, or Umbra limi, lives in slow-moving water around ponds, lakes, and streams in central North America and ranges in length from 51–102 mm. It burrows tail-first in mud and can tolerate low oxygen levels, allowing it to live in waterways unavailable to other fishes. Its coloration matches this habitat, being brownish above with mottled sides and a pale belly.[1] It is eaten by many species of fish such as grass pickeral, sunfishes, northern pike, and catfishes; also preyed upon by birds, foxes, and snakes when caught out of water.[2] According to Paszkowski and Tonn, mudminnows perform better in environments with other fish species than in environments with just mudminnows, because the "interspecific interactions override a similar contribution for the mudminnow, which is regarded as a fugitive species".[3] Central mudminnows are known to eat a large variety of zooplankton and benthic and epiphytic macroinvertebrates. Adults are also known to feed energetically in the winter months on littoral fish.[4] One experiment conducted by Colgan and Silburt resulted in mudminnows typically feeding more on benthic than plaktonic resources, with zooplankton making up only 0.7 items out of 511 items found in the stomach.[5] This mudminnow uses a modified gas bladder to breathe air pockets that are trapped between the ice and water during the winter months to feed and stay active.[6]
Geographic Distribution of Umbra limi
Umbra limi is a widely distributed species that inhabits many freshwater systems such as lakes, streams, and wetlands near the littoral zone, or near the shore, and around dense cover in central North America west of the Appalachian Mountains (1,3). including the St. Lawrence River, Great Lakes, Hudson Bay (Red River, and the Mississippi River basins from Quebec to Manitoba and south to central Ohio, western Tennessee, and northeastern Arkansas.[7] The mudminnow has also been introduced into many of the tributaries in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The introduction and movement of this species into Connecticut, Massachusetts, and even Maine is unknown. Their habitats being marshy lands and rivers are under attack by human development and contact constantly and is likely causing a decline in their populations.
Ecology
The central mudminnow is carnivorous and typically feeds in the benthic area of freshwater habitats. According to Colgan and Silburt, it prefers amphipods, coleopterans, and anisopterans while avoiding zooplankton and other planktonic species (1984). In a study conducted by Colgan and Silburt, they found that an average of only 0.9 percent (out of 511 items) of the contents of dissected stomachs of Umbra limi contained zooplankton. Chironoids and gastropods, when taken from the dissection, had a combined volume of about 60 percent which proves that the mudminnow feeds mainly in benthic areas (1984).
Umbra limi prefers water with low dissolved oxygen levels, warmer temperatures, and low flow.[7] It is able to live hypoxic, or lack of dissolved oxygen, conditions because of its ability to breathe outside of water.[8] This species is also known to feed in the winter months in temperatures as low as 1.1 degrees Celsius.[8] According to Jenkins and Miller, some animals that feed on the mudminnow are the grass pickeral, sunfishes, northern pike, and catfishes; also preyed upon by birds, foxes, and snakes when caught out of water. This mudminnow is known to bury itself in the mud or sand to avoid capture in some situations. Also, in a study done by Jenkins and Miller, they found that the mudminnow is a shoaling fish, that is they prefer to be with other mudminnows other than by themselves. This shoaling mechanism seems reduce their predation risk [2]
Life History
The central mudminnow tends to spawn in mid-April in temperatures of 13 degrees Celsius with the higher temperature stimulating the spawning. The spawning can take place in shallow waters producing up to 2,500 eggs in one season. According to Robinson et al. the average age of the central mudminnow is three while they can reach ages of five or six, according to their study in 2009. They also found that females are typically larger than males when compared around age two. The egg stage is generally 6 days and then they enter the larval stage of development.[4]
References
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2008). "Umbra limi" in FishBase. April 2008 version.
- "Umbra limi". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 04 August 2008.
- ↑ Philips, G. L., Schmid, W. D., Underhill, J. C. 1982. Fishes of the Minnesota Region. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jenkins, J. R. and Miller, B. A. 2006. Shoaling Behavior in the Central Mudminnow (Umbra limi). The American Midland Naturalist 158:226-232.
- ↑ Paszkowski, C. A. and Tonn, W. M. 1991. An experimental study of factors affecting the distribution of yellow perch and central mudminnows along a species richness gradient. Environmental Biology of Fishes 33:399-404.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Robinson, J. M., Jirka, K. J. and Chiotti, J. A. 2009. Age and growth analysis of the central mudminnow, Umbra limi. Applied Ichthyology 26:89-94.
- ↑ Colgan, P. and Silburt, B. 1984. Feeding behavior of the central mudminnow, Umbra limi, in the field and laboratory. Environmental Biology of Fishes 10:209-214.
- ↑ Currie, S., B. Bagatto, M. DeMille, A. Learner, D. LeBlanc, C. Marks, K. Ong, J. Parker, N. Templeman, B.L. Tufts, and P.A. Wright. 2010. Metabolism, nitrogen excretion, and heat shock proteins in the central mudminnow (Umbra limi), a facultative air-breathing fish living in a variable environment. NRC Research 88: 43-58.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Schilling, E.G., Halliwell, D.B., Gullo, A.M., Markowsky, J.K. 2006. First Records of Umbra limi (Central Mudminnow) in Maine. Northeastern Naturalist 13(2): 287-290.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chilton, G., Martin, K.A., Gee, J.H. 1984. Winter feeding : an adaptive strategy broadening the niche of the central mudminnow, Umbra limi. Environmental Biology of Fishes. 10:215-219.