The objective of this paper was to present some preliminary life history observations on a new exotic species, oriental weatherfish (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus), in the Lake Washington watershed of Washington State. During 1999 electrofishing surveys of Lake Washington Ship Canal (Portage Bay, Lake Union, Fremont Cut, and Salmon Bay), 21 oriental weatherfish were collected. An additional 15 specimens were observed but not captured. Two additional oriental weatherfish were found in the stomach of a largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Oriental weatherfish were collected in areas that contained aquatic macrophytes and a mud/silt substrate. Most female oriental weatherfish were gravid. On average, females were considerably larger than males. Only 7 of 19 oriental weatherfish contained prey. Chironomid larvae and pupae, amphipods, and cladocerans made up 96% of the diet by wet weight. Cladocerans and chironomid larvae were the most frequently consumed prey. It is unclear what impact oriental weatherfish will have on the fish assemblage in the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Since oriental weatherfish can withstand a wide range of environmental conditions, they may expand to many areas of the Lake Washington basin
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Title
An oriental weatherfish (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) population established in Washington State
Creators
Roger A. Tabor (Author)
Eric Warner (Author)
Stephen Hager (Author)
Publication Details
Northwest science., Vol.75(1), pp.72-76
Academic Unit
Northwest Science
Publisher
WSU Press
Identifiers
99900503037301842
Copyright
In copyright ; openAccess ; http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ ; http://purl.org/eprint/accessRights/OpenAccess